ECOS 294 - Biodiversity
In this issue of ECOS we explore just some of our biodiversity. Australia is home to around 700,000 species of plants, animals and other organisms like fungi and algae. Around 70 per cent are endemic, found nowhere else on earth. Biodiversity is our planet's free life support system. It takes care of essential ecological processes like cycling nutrients, purifying water and pollinating crops. It feeds and clothes us, supports key elements of our economy and enhances our wellbeing.