Biological diversity, shortened to biodiversity, is a term expressing the richness, complexity and variety of life on Earth at every level, including genes, species, and ecosystems. Without biodiversity ecosystems cannot maintain services that support life, such as pollination, water purification, and climate regulation. Thus, biodiversity has become one of the key indicators of the health and resilience of ecosystems.
Origin of the term and application
The term “biodiversity” was coined in the late 1980s as both scientists and policy makers began to grasp the importance of protecting and preserving life on Earth in the face of industrial society. Protection of biodiversity necessitates acting to ensure the conservation of all natural habitats and ecosystems. With the worsening of the climate crisis, loss of natural habitats through deforestation amongst other causes, and increasing species loss, conservation of biodiversity has become critical to the survival of life on Earth.
