WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

Biological diversity - or "biodiversity" - is the number and variety of living organisms on earth, the millions of plants, animals, and micro-organisms, the genes they contain, the evolutionary history and potential they encompass, and the ecosystems, ecological processes, and landscapes of which they are integral parts. Biodiversity thus refers to the life-support systems and natural resources upon which we depend.

There are three main components of biodiversity:

GENETIC DIVERSITY

Genes are the biochemical packages that are passed on by parents to their offspring, and which determine the physical and biochemical characteristics of offspring. Genetic diversity refers to the variation of genes within species, making it possible to develop new breeds of crop plants and domestic animals, and allowing species in the wild to adapt to changing conditions.

SPECIES DIVERSITY

A species is a group of plants or animals whose genes are so similar that they can breed together and produce fertile offspring. Usually different species look different. Species diversity refers to the variety and abundance of species within a geographic area. Species richness refers to the number of different species within a region.

ECOSYSTEM DIVERSITY

An ecosystem consists of communities of plants and animals and the soil, water, and air on which they depend. These all interact in a complex way, contributing to processes on which all life depends such as the water cycle, energy flow, the provision of oxygen, soil formation and nutrient cycling. Ecosystem diversity can refer to the variety of ecosystems found within a certain political or geographical boundary, or to the variety of species within different ecosystems.

Another level of diversity which is sometimes included in the definition of biodiversity is LANDSCAPE DIVERSITY. A landscape is a collection of elements which consists of defined assemblages of plants, animals, abiotic substrata such as rocks, and land-use patterns. For example, plantations, fragments of forest, mountains, or rocky shores may comprise landscapes. The boundary of a landscape will vary according to the scale being used and the purpose of the investigation. Landscape diversity refers to the number of landscapes in the geographical area being studied.