Biodiversity

The importance of conserving and protecting biodiversity is emphasised in the 17 Global Goals in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Biodiversity encompasses all the variation that exists on Earth among and within species, habitats, natural features and ecosystems.

All life on Earth depends on biological diversity. Biodiversity can help species and ecosystems resist and recover in the event of changes in the local environment, bacterial and viral attacks, and pollution. Biodiversity and natural ecosystems help us to pollinate our crops, recycle nutrients and purify air and water. Biodiversity provides insurance for future needs, but is also recognised to have an inherent value of its own.

Research on biodiversity is hugely important for achieving the goal of sustainable development for future generations. There are many important questions. How are we to develop and conserve biodiversity nationally and globally? What role does biodiversity play in the ecosystem and what role do we humans have in the threat to biodiversity? Which species exist and how do new species arise? How can populations adapt to local changes? And what impact does climate change have on the existence and distribution of species?

Current news on biodiversity