Cultural and linguistic diversities are underappreciated pillars of biodiversity

Alongside climate change, the current rapid loss ofbiodiversity is one of the biggest threats that humanityfaces to its own survival (1). With up to a million speciesat risk of disappearing within decades, human activitiesare reshaping life on Earth with no precedent in recenthistory. Biodiversity encompasses all life forms and theirvariation across the landscape. As one of the most importantmeasures of environmental quality, high biodiversityis often linked with better provision of ecosystemservices (2) and also helps assist and promote ecologicalconservation. Natural parks, national reserves, protectedareas, and other measures for preserving the naturalworld are concerned first and foremost with the protectionof biodiversity. But there is a critical and overlookedaspect of this important concept: its link with humancultural and linguistic diversity