This week on Earth Eclectic Radio Hour, host Bart Everson shares “The Joy of Biodiversity,” a collection of music that celebrates the magnificent tapestry of life on our planet. Beginning with Peter Mayer’s poignant “Back Again,” which honors species returning from the brink of extinction, the journey continues with a track from Siri’s debut EP, “Don’t Forget,” written as she connected personal loss with Earth’s changing systems. The eclectic mix ranges from In Gowan Ring’s mystical folk to Reverend Billy’s benediction of “Vastness,” each artist offering unique perspectives on our relationship with the more-than-human world. After a brief pause to highlight the Center for Biological Diversity’s crucial work, listeners are immersed in Channelers’ instrumental meditation “Praise for Life in All Its Forms,” complemented by poet Bob Ambrose Jr.‘s celebration of “the trillion-voice choir” of Gaia. Another debut release follows, a powerful instrumental honoring “Mother Earth” from French anti-fascist artistic and political project Terralgia. The journey concludes with Sharon Burch’s 1984 Navajo-language classic “Mother Earth,” a reminder that indigenous wisdom has long recognized what science now confirms—that biodiversity is not merely beautiful, but essential to human flourishing. In a time of accelerating extinction, these artists remind us that protecting Earth’s diversity is both a practical necessity and a profound source of joy.

Listen on our site, Mixcloud, PRX — complete track list

Bonus: Music video for “Praise for Life in All Its Forms”

PSA: This week we wanted to put in a good word for the Center for Biological Diversity. They believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, the Center for Biological Diversity works to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. They do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive. You can learn more at Center’s website, BiologicalDiversity.org.

Our featured photo is “Something of the Marvelous” by Bart Everson. It’s hard to represent biodiversity in a single photo, but we chose this picture from Tickfaw State Park because wetlands are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems, right up there with rainforests and coral reefs. And as Aristotle said, “In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” Hmm, come to think of it, that might be a good title for another episode….