Defining The Concept Of Biodiversity

Defining the concept of biodiversity

The term biodiversity emerged basically from two publications of the 80s, made by Lovejoy and North Ymacmanus. Lovejoy, did a study for the World Fund for Nature (WWF), where he reviewed several global environmental issues, and there he wrote about biotic or biological diversity, referring to the number of present species. On the other hand, North and McManus (1980) who collaborated on the Blanca House in Environmental Quality, prepared a chapter for the 11th annual report of the Council in Environmental Quality, in which it analyzes global biodiversity and defines it including two conceptsRelated to each other, genetic diversity, the amount of genetic variability within species, and ecological diversity, the number of species in a community of organisms.  

In these publications, biodiversity is discussed on a global scale relating various topics to biological aspects. Thus manifesting the importance of biodiversity, currently and the potential, that natural ecosystems have to provide what is now called vital functions for the health of the planet, taking into account that these documents emphasized that the biodiversity that should be seen morebeyond an object of study of biology . With this the authors disseminated a broader concept when referring to biological diversity on three levels: genetic diversity, diversity of species and ecological diversity. At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also called “Earth Summit” of 1992, biodiversity had become a very important issue, acquiring a discursive centrality in scientific and political concern in the world in the world.

This conference arises the “Convention on Biological Diversity, which is an international agreement for the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity.  

Biodiversity covers the variability of genes, species and ecosystems. Thus, the meaning of biodiversity as we know it currentVariability of living organisms of any source, including, among other things, terrestrial and marine ecosystems and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part;It includes diversity within each species, between species and ecosystems  . Another slightly shorter definition is that of the global biodiversity strategy, registered in 1992 (WRI, IUCN and UNEP) that refers to biodiversity such as all genes, species and ecosystems in a region. This has been able to integrate various disciplines for the management and conservation of our own planet.