A contraction of the two words ‘biological’ and ‘diversity’, biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth in general, or the variety of living things in a given ecosystem or region. It covers all living things, ranging from bacteria, plants and animals, to humans.

Biodiversity plays a vital role in ecosystem services, which are the services that nature supplies. These include pollination, climate regulation, flood protection, soil fertility and the supply of food, fuel, fibre and medicines.

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