Environment / B2

beye-ohd-y-VURS-uh-tee/ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːsəti/

Biodiversity is the variety of living things in a place or on Earth: protect biodiversity, a loss of biodiversity. Wildlife is everyday and looser; variety of species is a plain gloss. The word is scientific and policy-heavy. In speech, how many kinds of plants and animals is enough. Biodiversity is not a synonym for countryside charm. Do not use it for a window-box with two herbs unless you are campaigning with a smile.

Meaning

The variety of living things in a particular area or on earth.

Examples

• “The rainforest is rich in biodiversity.”
• “Building on the marsh would cut biodiversity that the survey had only just mapped.”
• “The report linked falling biodiversity to pesticide use, not to a single cold winter.”

Good to know

Variety of living things. Everyday: variety of species / wildlife (looser). Scientific and policy tone. Not “pretty countryside”.

Near in meaning

wildlife

Topics

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