What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity includes the whole variety of life on Earth, from coral reefs to the Arctic ice.

The living world is made up of many thousands of different animals and plants.
Biodiversity is represented by all the plant and animal species that we see but it also includes the genetic variation and the complex ecosystems of which they are part.
Every living creature has its own genetic 'fingerprint'.

The greater the variety of plants and animals, the greater the genetic diversity. Even tiny or insignificant plants may have a vital place in a food chain and the whole network of living things.
Everything is precious, if you destroy one small part, you may lose much more.
Biodiversity is not restricted to rare or threatened species like the serrated or one sided wintergreen, but also to more common species like the stoat.

Biodiversity includes the whole of the natural world from the plants and animals familiar to all of us in the places where we live or work, like the gardens of Belfast, to the exotic and endangered habitats of the rainforests.