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Biodiversity is short for biological diversity. It describes the variety of all the genes, species and natural communities that exist within a particular place.
The species and ecosystems that make up earth's biodiversity are incredible. Estimates of the number of species currently living on Earth range widely, but most fall between 5 million and 30 million species.
It may not be obvious, but we depend on biodiversity every day. Earth's biodiversity includes forests, prairies, plains, deserts, savannas, wetlands, lakes, streams, oceans and many other ecosystems. These ecosystems, when healthy, provide something scientists have dubbed "ecosystem services." Ecosystem services describe the benefits we receive from natural systems, such as clean air, clean drinking water, pollination, breakdown of waste, food and many other necessities. Without biodiversity, without healthy ecosystems and the services they provide, life on Earth would not be possible.
Click on the following links to learn more about the benefits of biodiversity, the threats to biodiversity, and what you can do to protect biodiversity.
If you are an environmental or conservation organization wishing to learn how to communicate more effectively about biodiversity, see our Communicating about Biodiversity section.
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