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What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is all the living things on our planet – from the smallest bacteria to the largest plants and animals. So far, we have identified around 1.6 million species but that is probably only a small fraction of the forms of life on Earth.
Biodiversity on Earth is the result of four billion years of evolution. Biodiversity is most commonly used to describe the variety of life in a particular area but it also refers to how those different species interact with each other in these areas, or ecosystems. These ecosystems can vary in size and complexity from a garden pond to the Amazon Rainforest but it is the biodiversity of each area – that variety of species and genes – and the environment in which they exist, that determines what happens in the ecosystem. How each species interacts with others, and the environment in which they exist, determines how each survives and grows. While many of these relationships are robust there are also many that can be fragile.
Find answers to 16 key questions about biodiversity
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- Introduction
- What is biodiversity?
- Why is biodiversity important?
- How do we measure biodiversity?
- What is the scale of biodiversity loss?
- Do new species offset the loss of existing species?
- Where is most biodiversity loss happening and why?
- Is the rate of biodiversity loss increasing or decreasing?
- What is the state of biodiversity in the UK?
- How do humans affect biodiversity?
- How does the growing global population and increasing consumption affect biodiversity?
- How does climate change affect biodiversity?
- How does deforestation affect biodiversity?
- What can we do to protect biodiversity?
- What can I do as an individual to protect biodiversity?
- Can we allow nature to regenerate without intervention?
- How do we decide what is worth saving or putting our efforts into protecting?
- Acknowledgements
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Introduction
At its simplest, biodiversity describes life on Earth – the different genes, species and ecosystems that comprise the biosphere and the varying habitats, landscapes and regions in which they exist. We've answered some of your most popular questions about biodiversity.
introduction -
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is all the living things on our planet – from the smallest bacteria to the largest plants and animals. So far, we have identified around 1.6 million species but that is probably only a small fraction of the forms of life on Earth.
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Why is biodiversity important?
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have healthy ecosystems.
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How do we measure biodiversity?
There is still much we do not know about the complexity of biodiversity on Earth. There are a number of ways that we measure it, with counting species the most common approach.
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What is the scale of biodiversity loss?
The list of known recent extinctions is still a small fraction of all species on the planet but it is far above prehuman levels and the evidence suggests it is rising fast.
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We regularly hear of new species being discovered - does that not offset the loss of existing species?
Every year thousands of previously unknown species are discovered, described and named.
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Where is most biodiversity loss happening and why?
Biodiversity loss has been most pronounced on islands and in specific locations around the tropics.
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Is the rate of biodiversity loss increasing or decreasing?
Compared to the 1.6 million species known about on Earth, the number of recorded extinctions can seem very low.
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What is the state of biodiversity in the UK?
The UK boasts more than 70,000 known species of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms.
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How do humans affect biodiversity?
Humanity impacts the planet's biodiversity in multiple ways, both deliberate and accidental.
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How does the growing global population and increasing consumption affect biodiversity?
Since the middle of the 20th century, the human population has grown dramatically.
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How does climate change affect biodiversity?
The environmental changes being driven by climate change are disturbing natural habitats and species in ways that are still only becoming clear.
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How does deforestation affect biodiversity?
Forests contain some of the richest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet. But between 1990 and 2020, around 420 million hectares of mainly tropical forest has been lost.
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What can we do to protect biodiversity?
Loss of natural habitats has been taking place over thousands of years, but scientists are confident that we have ways to help biodiversity recover.
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What can I do as an individual to protect biodiversity?
While large scale changes in behaviour, policies and measures will be essential, individuals have a vital part to play.
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Can we allow nature to regenerate without intervention?
Biodiversity loss is a complex issue involving many overlapping processes. While nature can recover when left to do so, it requires dramatic changes in our behaviour for this to happen.
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How do we decide what is worth saving or putting our efforts into protecting?
The value of the natural world can be interpreted in many ways, from their raw economic value to the inherent social, cultural and emotional benefits they provide.
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Acknowledgements
Find the main authors and reviewers of the questions and answers on biodiversity.
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