What is biodiversity?
Biological diversity, or "biodiversity," refers to the variety of all life on earth, and the complex relationships among living things, and between living things and their environment. Biodiversity includes genetic variety, species diversity, and variability in communities, ecosystems and landscapes.

Why is biodiversity important?
Biodiversity sustains the environments in which we live and on which our lives and those of every other living creature on Earth depend. Thanks to biodiversity, we are able to obtain such necessary goods as food, clothing, medicine, and fuel. Equally important are the ecosystem services that biodiversity provides, such as clean air and drinkable water.

What are the threats to biodiversity?
Conservation scientists have identified a number of universal threats to biodiversity: habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, pollution, overpopulation, overexploitation and consumption, and global climate change.

What can we do to conserve biodiversity?
Learn about your place in your community—where your water comes from, how your food gets to your table, where and how your clothing is made. By understanding how your daily actions and lifestyle choices can affect global biodiversity, you can take the first steps toward conserving it. Click to find out more about What You Can Do.

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