Definition
Biodiversity is a word invented to summarise
the phrase 'biological diversity'. It
means the whole variety life and is a central idea in the science of ecology.
Biological diversity was first defined
as including two related concepts, genetic
diversity (the amount of genetic variability within species) and ecological diversity
(the number of species in a community of organisms
The contracted form `biodiversity' was
apparently coined by Walter G. Rosen in
1985 for the first planning meeting of the `National Forum on Biodiversity' held in
Washington DC in September 1986. The report on this meeting brought the notion
of biodiversity to the attention of a wide field of scientists and others.
Life on earth has evolved over millions
of years and is maintained in habitats which
are collections of plants, animals, microbes, soil and water. They all interact
together with climate and their complex interactions are defined as ecosystems.
People are just one part of all ecosystems but a dominant one because we use the
components of ecosystems to support our daily lives and our wastes impinge on
ecosystems through changing the climate and polluting soil and water.
Because there are so many of us we are
now a major influence on the ecology of
our planet and weakening our life support system. Species are driven to extinction
and habitats are destroyed. If we allow ecological change to continue at the
headlong pace of recent decades, we are taking a big risk with our futures.
Therefore the conservation of biological diversity by managing the main factors that
influence it is an issue which is in all our interests to take seriously.
Conserving biodiversity is not just about
rare and threatened species and habitats.
All those who care about the countryside, who notice when a butterfly visits their
garden, when a bird sings or when the autumn tints appear in the woods and
hedgerows, whether they know it or not, are appreciating biodiversity. The quality of
our lives is intimately bound up with the maintenance of biodiversity.
There is a danger that the public and
decision- makers might think that biodiversity
is only found somewhere else or that it is somebody else's problem - this is not true.
Global biodiversity is the sum of local biodiversity. The United Kingdom (UK) must
conserve biodiversity within its own territories and take account of its actions
abroad.
The importance of biodiversity conservation,
in its various forms, is well recognised
by the UK public. The strength of voluntary conservation organisations also reflects
this recognition.
Plan of this web site
This website is being created to explain
the science of biodiversity and
demonstrate some of the biodiversity hotspots of the UK and the wider world. It also
provides information about conservation management at all levels from the
government agencies to local communities, with examples of what is being done to
maintain and restore biodiversity.
