Biodiversity and conservation

Biodiversity is the variety of all species on Earth or in an ecosystem. High biodiversity makes ecosystems more stable, because species depend on each other and a loss of one has less effect. The future of humans depends on biodiversity for food, medicine, clean water and a stable climate.

Human activities reduce biodiversity: clearing land for farming and building, deforestation, peat bog destruction, pollution of water and air, overfishing and climate change. Conservation programmes try to reverse this. Examples include breeding programmes for endangered species, protecting and regenerating rare habitats, reintroducing hedgerows and field margins, cutting deforestation and carbon emissions, and recycling instead of landfill. These measures have costs and trade-offs, such as farmers losing land or jobs, so solutions must balance people and nature.