Biodiversity

Definition

“Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area— the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world.”

Source: World Wildlife Fund

Explainer

The extent and variety of existing and lost biodiversity is not yet known. A common measure of this variety, called species richness, is the count of species in an area. However, the variety extent of diversity is said to be positive for the health and wellbeing of humanity. The importance of biodiversity can be seen through ecosystems that provide many goods and services that are essential for human survival and well-being, e.g., food, climate regulation, etc. In the last biodiversity conference held in Montreal, Canada, delegates highlighted the growing evidence linking climate change to biodiversity loss.