Biodiversity is simply a term meaning the variety of life on earth. It includes all types of plants, animals and micro-organisms and the complex ecological systems in which they interact. It includes common habitats and species, such as urban parks and robins, to the rare and threatened natural areas, such as chalk grassland and its associated plants and insects.

Why is biodiversity important?

Many people agree that biodiversity is important in its own right and gives an area its local distinctiveness. But a functioning eco-system is also vital for the benefit and welfare of society, for example, by providing pollination of our crops and water meadows to absorb flood water in winter. In addition, the economic and social benefits of areas of high biodiversity have been widely recorded and range from increased tourism and property values to improved quality of life, health and wellbeing (see RSPB 2007 report Wellbeing through Wildlife).