Biodiversity

Overview of Biodiversity

• Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the broad range of ecosystems and living organisms: animals, plants, their habitats and their genes.
• It isn’t merely ‘more species’, but includes different habitats and ecosystems, and genetic variation within individual species.
• Biodiversity matters because it supports the vital benefits we get from the natural environment.

Levels of Biodiversity

• Biodiversity can be examined at three levels: species diversity, genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity.
• Species diversity: It refers to variety and abundance of different species within a particular region. It can be measured using indices that combine species richness (the number of species) and species evenness (the relative abundance of different species).
• Genetic diversity: It accounts for the variety of genes within a species. Higher genetic diversity provides a buffer against the impacts of environmental change and disease that can wipe out populations of genetically identical organisms.
• Ecosystem diversity: This refers to diversity of different ecosystems within a geographical area. Greater ecosystem diversity leads to greater species diversity because different ecosystems support different species.

Impacts on Biodiversity

• Human activity has a significant impact on biodiversity levels. Habitat loss, largely due to human development, remains the primary reason for species extinction.
• Other human contributions include climate change, overexploitation (such as overfishing), introduction of invasive species, and pollution.

Importance of Biodiversity

• Biodiversity underpins life on Earth, and referring to the variety of organisms makes up a healthy, resilient ecosystem.
• It provides us with clean air, clean water, food, and medicines, among many other assets.
• Biodiversity also has an intrinsic value that we need to recognise and respect.

Measuring Biodiversity

• Various methods exist to measure biodiversity, ranging from remote sensing via satellites, to on-the-ground surveys by scientists.
• Often, assessments of biodiversity are made indirectly, using measures such as vegetation cover as a proxy for species diversity.

Conservation of Biodiversity

• Conservation biology is the branch of biology dedicated to the study and protection of biodiversity.
• Conservation strategies can be either in-situ, protecting species within their natural habitats, or ex-situ, protecting species outside of their natural habitats.
• Conservation actions aim to prevent loss of biodiversity, and include creating protected areas, restoring degraded ecosystems and implementing legislation to protect endangered species.