Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is a term we use to describe the variety of life on Earth.

It refers to the wide variety of ecosystems and living organisms: animals, plants, their habitats and their genes. Biodiversity is the foundation of life on Earth. It is crucial for the functioning of ecosystems which provide us with products and services without which we couldnt live. Oxygen, food, fresh water, fertile soil, medicines, shelter, protection from storms and floods, stable climate and recreation - all have their source in nature and healthy ecosystems. But biodiversity gives us much more than this. We depend on it for our security and health; it strongly affects our social relations and gives us freedom and choice.

 The number and variety of species in an ecosystem can influence that ecosystems stability, productivity, and value to humans.
Sometimes the presence or absence of a single keystone species, like the sea otter, can completely change the nature of life in an ecosystem. When the otter population falls, the population of its favorite prey, sea urchins, goes up. Population increases in sea urchins cause a dramatic decrease in the population of sea kelp, the sea urchins favorite food.

Biodiversity is everywhere. It occurs both on land and in water, from high altitudes to deep ocean trenches and it includes all organisms, from microscopic bacteria to more complex plants. Although many tools and data sources have been developed, biodiversity remains difficult to measure precisely. According to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, the total number of species on Earth ranges from five to 30 million and only 1.72 million species have been formally identified. But we do not need precise figures and answers to devise an effective understanding of where biodiversity is, how it is changing over space and time, what are the drivers responsible for this change, its consequences for ecosystem services and human well-being, and the available response options.

Why is biodiversity important? Why is biodiversity important? Biodiversitys benefits to society include contributions to medicine and agriculture, and the provision of ecosystem goods and services. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the total of all the genetically based