While scientists are striving to describe and measure the full variety of life on Earth - an estimated nine million species - biodiversity is at risk due to the pressures of human resource-use. The importance of biodiversity reflects the many different values that we bestow up it, including economic, ecological, cultural, scientific and recreational. The key components of life are at one extreme and communities of species at the other extreme. The manifestations of all types of diversities are found at all these levels of organisms. Ecological Support Areas are not essential for meeting biodiversity targets but play an important role in supporting the ecological functioning of Critical Biodiversity Areas and/or in delivering ecosystem services. Biodiversity – the constellation of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms on Earth; their genetic variation; and the communities and ecosystems of which they are a part – is a central component of Earth’s life support systems. 2. This content is provided by the California Academy of Sciences. Dive deep into Earth's breathtaking biodiversity, learn why this biodiversity is in peril today, and discover what you can do to protect the species and ecosystems that support human life on Earth.

Yet biodiversity is more than a collection of individual species; it is the combination of biological entities and processes that support life on Earth. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: an integrative approach. Quantifying Ecological Life Support: The Biological Efficacy of Alternative Supplementation Strategies for Imperiled Amphibian Populations Amanda M. Kissel1, Wendy J. Palen1, Purnima Govindarajulu2, & Christine A. Bishop3 1 EarthtoOceanResearchGroup,DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,SimonFraserUniversity,8888UniversityDrive,Burnaby,BCV5A1S6,Canada

Critical Biodiversity Areas are areas required to meet biodiversity targets for ecosystems, species and ecological processes, as identified in a systematic biodiversity plan. To understand biodiversity we must catalog it, but we must also assess the ways species interact with other species to provide functional support for the Tree of Life.

Besides, biodiversity is also part of many cultures’ spiritual heritage. The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has emerged as a central issue in ecological and environmental sciences during the past 15 years. From penguins to palm trees to bacteria, our planet is host to an awe-inspiring diversity of organisms. Critical Biodiversity … Biodiversity is the shorter form of word biological diversity which means diversity in the biological world. Online Resources "The value of Biodiversity.Insights from Ecology, Ethics and Economics" (prepared for the Malahide conference “Biodiversity and the EU – Sustaining Life, Sustaining Livelihoods”) held in May 2004.