Biodiversity
The variety of life across genes, species, and ecosystems.
Biodiversity is the variety of life, commonly considered at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Variation within species supports adaptation; species diversity describes the living organisms present; ecosystem diversity concerns the different ecological communities and processes in a landscape.
Biodiversity is connected to food, materials, pollination, water regulation, cultural relationships, and ecosystem resilience. These benefits depend on place and on relationships among organisms, not simply on counting species. Conservation decisions should consider ecological evidence alongside the rights and knowledge of local and Indigenous communities.
A biodiversity measure may track species abundance, habitat condition, genetic variation, or ecosystem composition. Each captures only part of a changing system; a local increase in one indicator does not establish that all aspects are improving. State the location, baseline, method, and period, and distinguish observation from proposed cause.
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