What is Biodiversity?
Here we provide several definitions concerning the term: "biological diversity"
Biodiversity (Biological diversity) - emphasises the diversity and heterogeneity of organisms and their environment.
Biological diversity was established as a new concept integrating all levels of the living world from genes to ecosystems in the mid 1980s (Wilson 1988).
It means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992).
It can be understood as diversity of living organisms, natural resources and ecosystems of which they are part (UNEP, 1995).
Therefore, this concept includes, not only the number, but also the variety of species and ecosystems and genetic diversity which they include (WRI/IUCN/UNEP, 1992). Thus, biodiversity is defined as the diversity of life in all its forms, levels and combinations.
However, this is not only a mere aggregation of all genes, species and ecosystems, but rather variability within and between them. Therefore, biodiversity in this sense is considered to be a characteristic of life.
A renowned American biologist, E.O. Wilson who popularized the term biodiversity and disseminated it outside the scientific circles, understands it as the diversity of organisms at all levels, from genetic differences within a single species and groups of species to groups of genera, families and higher taxonomic levels; it includes the diversity of ecosystems consisting of communities of organisms in a certain habitat and under physical conditions in which they live (Wilson 1988, 1992).
