What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of living things.  It includes all species of plants and animals, the genetic variation amongst them, and the complex ecosystems of which they are a part.  The term itself is formed from the combination of the two words ‘Biological’ and ‘Diversity’.

The term ‘biodiversity’ was brought into prominence following the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, which was attended by 159 heads of Government, including our own.  The Summit was held in light of the growing realisation that the world’s environment was declining rapidly, while at the same time the quality of life of much of the world’s population remained very low. One of the key outcomes of the Earth Summit was the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD was the first treaty to provide a legal framework for the conservation of biodiversity.  It required governments to take a wide range of actions to halt and if possible, reverse, the steady decline of species and natural habitats.  The UK Biodiversity Action Plan was the UK government’s response to signing the CBD.

Go to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan website>

Go to the website of the Convention on Biological Diversity >