Biodiversity

1. The abundance and variety of plants and wildlife within an area. It is also termed Biological Diversity.

2. An Environmental Sustainability Indicator.
• Brief Description: This provides a measure of a range of indicator species and can be used to describe the interconnected complexity of an ecosystem.
• Relevance to sustainability: Increasing biodiversity typically represents a positive contribution to the sustainability of a system. Having a diverse ecosystem provides for a greater resilience to recover from extreme events and to adapt to changing situations. A limited species range will limit the ability of the ecosystem and its associated human population to endure over time.