ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses plummeting biodiversity across the globe and the effect this is having on the functional wellbeing of humans and ecosystems. What is at stake here is the integrity of meaningful human life on Earth, and what we do today and tomorrow will make our futures. The chapter summarizes some of the leading evidence for ecological devastation and its drivers. Following this, it canvases a few of the many international conservation ideas and policy settings devised to directly address the extinction crisis and promote actions to restore long-term, ecological integrity. Lastly, it discusses the importance of relationships in responding to the extinction crisis. Bringing awareness of the importance of biodiversity and enhancing kin relationships with the natural world will generate localized momentum for enabling positive actions for ecological restoration and enhanced human wellbeing.
