Biodiversity GapFill

Biodiversity indicates the number and variety of organisms in a region, and can be measured in several ways:

Areas can be sampled using a number of different techniques and pieces of equipment, e.g.

Continuous  mininghuntingmonoculturedeforestation often works in opposition to biodiversity because crops are usually carefully cultivated to be the only species present in an area, and may also be selected to have shared or similar characteristics. It needs to be balanced with  tourismharvestingcullingconservation in order to maintain natural habitats, e.g. by replanting hedgerows at field margins, and using  crop rotationleachingeutrophicationpesticides to maintain soil quality over several seasons. Another example is the use of  botanic gardenswildlife reserveskeystone sitesFullgren tunnels such as national parks, which manage human activities in natural habitats.

It is important to maintain biodiversity; for example,  aestheticgeologicalpoliticalecological reasons include protecting important keystone species, preserving genetic resources and avoiding disturbance to the interdependence of species in food webs. There are a number of agreements which aim to do this, such as the  Kew Millennium Seed Bank ProjectCountry Wildlife TrustConvention on Biological DiversityCountryside Stewardship Scheme, which promotes sustainable development of ecosystems and aims to provide shared access to biological resources and knowledge.