Biodiversity Definition

The term “biodiversity” refers to the variety of living organisms. Biodiversity brings together the
different species and forms of life (animal, plant, entomological and other) and their variability, that
is to say, their dynamics of evolution in their ecosystems.

Traditionally, there are three levels of biodiversity: genetic diversity, species diversity, and
ecosystem diversity. But what does each of these levels really mean?

Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity is about the diversity of genes existing in the living world. Between and within
different species there are different genes and different expressions of genes. And this genetic
variability contributes to the multiplicity of life forms, physical and biological characteristics and,
depending on the interaction with the environment, phenotypes.

Species Diversity

We speak of species diversity to describe the diversity of living species. There are millions of living
species on Earth. They’re all different and divided into groups depending on their specificities
(insects, animals, plants, fungi,…)

Ecosystem Biodiversity

Ecosystem biodiversity refers to the variety of ecosystems, by their nature and number, where living
species interact with their environment and with each other. For example, on Earth, there are
different ecosystems, each with their specificities like deserts, oceans, lakes, plains or forests. And
even within these ecosystems, there are special details like cold or hot deserts, boreal or tropical
forests, warm or cold water coastal region. Each ecosystem has its own peculiarities, species, and
ways of functioning.