The Diversity of Life

What is Biodiversity?


Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms.

Its meaning can best be understood by considering it in two stages: first, all species of life - animals, plants, micro-organisms, and so on - and the genes that each individual contains; second, the critical inter-relationships or "ecosystems" which those species form.

Nobody knows just how many different species of plants and animals there are in the world. Estimates range widely between 10 million and 50 million. So far, scientists have only named and classified around 1.5 million separate life forms.


A biodiversity collage

Groups of species have evolved to create close-knit ecosystems. These ecosystems are intricate structures in which the existence of one species directly affects many others. For example, an animal' s droppings may provide food for other species, and fertilize the soil for plants to grow. Birds and animals are often carriers of seeds, helping plants to take root in new places. Insects like bees and butterflies obtain food from flowers and pollinate them as well, enabling plants to reproduce.

In the same way, human life is inextricably linked with other species. Our food and many of our clothes, building materials, and medicines are supplied by nature. But we don' t only consume. Through the activities of farmers, explorers, scientists, and others, people help create new varieties and distribute them in places where they have not previously been found.


  • Where do things live?

  • Biodiversity and people

  • What's happening?

  • No diversity, no future

  • Saving diversity for the future

  • Diversity and WWF

  • The Broader Context


  • Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature