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Understanding Biodiversity      PDF  | Print |  Email

Biological diversity or biodiversity is the very heart of our environment. It is the total richness of all the living forms and life processes of our planet. It is the web of life that includes the full-range of ecosystems, their component species, and the genetic variety of those species produced by nature or shaped by men. It includes plants and animals and the processes and inter-relationships that sustain these components. Plants absorb and convert nutrients from the soil in order to grow. In turn, they produce oxygen for humans and animals. Insects, birds, and other pollinators feed on nectar from flowers; and in so doing also cross-fertilize flowers.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as “the variability among living organisms including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic systems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. This includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.”