Why is Biodiversity Important to Me?

My lecturer asked us to write a response to this question after asking us about the very first time we had an interest in biology ad ecology. It was actually hard to do both these things, mainly because I don't remember a time when I DIDN'T have a  love of biology, and also because it's hard to express in words why it is that biodiversity is important to me. Still, I think it is something that I should at least try to write about, especially as I want a career in biodiversity, and if I don't even know why it is important to me, how can I hope to spend my life conserving it? So, I spent five minutes thinking about it and when I finally put pen to paper, I found the words came easily and the hard part was actually knowing when to stop. I ended up writing a page, much to the amusement of my peers. This is what I wrote (and how I feel):

Biodiversity is everywhere you look. it is biodiversity that creates such complex and  beautiful surroundings and landscapes and fills the planet with so much colour and vibrancy. Without biodiversity, the world would be a much darker place.

Many of the things we enjoy and even take for granted are a result  of biodiversity: hiking, fishing, gardening, photography, art and many more: they all, in some way or another, need biodiversity or there would be nothing to look at and enjoy, nothing to inspire some of the greatest work in history. Van Gough's Sunflowers for example, would simply not exist without the biodiversity that created the flowers.

Biodiversity is important to me not only because of the  beauty it brings, but also because  of the  services it provides. If there were no bees, there would be less plants and almost no pollination. Without plants, there would be less oxygen to breathe  and we would  cease to  exist.  In this essence, biodiversity is life itself; without it, we could not survive.

I saddens me to see children that have never been to the countryside. Even more so when they grow excited because they saw their first rabbit that wasn't born and raised in a cage. The more we take away biodiversity, the more children will grow up never seeing the world for what it really is: a place of wander, beauty and most importantly, a place of life. That is why it is important to me.

So, that is my own personal feelings, although I added one last sentence to the back of the sheet that made my lecturer laugh:

There is also the fact that without biodiversity, I wouldn't have a job or a degree, and that would kinda suck.

With that final comment, I now ask you the same question- why is biodiversity important to YOU?