Question

Biological diversity can be seen in the following areas

Answer 1

Biodiversity includes not only the world's species with their unique evolutionary histories, but also genetic variability within and among populations of species and the distribution of species across local habitats, ecosystems, landscapes, and whole continents or oceans. Understanding what constitutes and defines biodiversity is essential for managers and policy-makers who must attempt to incorporate its values into their land- and water-management plans. It is only when we understand all the interacting scientific dimensions of biodiversity outlined in this chapter that we can appreciate the levels of information that must be considered. Biodiversity-management options are inevitably constrained by a combination of biological and sociopolitical realities. In this chapter, we present our biological understanding of biodiversity, which provides the basis for further chapters 3 and 4, which consider the "uses" and "value" of biodiversity.