What Is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity, or biological diversity, refers to the variability among all living organisms from all sources—terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems and the ecological complexes they are part of. It encompasses three interconnected levels:

• Genetic diversity: The variation within species that enables adaptation and resilience
• Species diversity: The variety of species within a habitat or region
• Ecosystem diversity: The range of different ecosystems—forests, wetlands, coral reefs, grasslands—that provide the services on which life depends

Biodiversity is not simply a matter of aesthetics. It is the operating system of life itself—underpinning ecosystem resilience, productivity, stability, and the availability of food, medicines, clean water, and breathable air.

Where We Stand: A System in Peril

The evidence is unambiguous. Earth is experiencing a biodiversity crisis of unprecedented scale and speed:

The rate of species extinction is now tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10 million years, leading scientists to warn that a sixth mass extinction may already be underway.

Why Biodiversity Matters

Biodiversity is the foundation of the ecosystem services that sustain human civilization:

• Food security: Pollinators—primarily bees and insects—are essential for approximately 35% of global food crop production. Crop genetic diversity safeguards against pests and diseases.
• Water purification: Wetlands and forests filter water naturally. As these ecosystems diminish, the cost of artificial water treatment rises sharply.
• Climate regulation: Forests store more carbon than exists in the entire atmosphere. Peatlands, mangroves, and ocean ecosystems are critical carbon sinks.
• Medicine: 75% of the world's population relies on plant-based medicine for primary healthcare. Many pharmaceuticals derive from natural compounds.
• Resilience: Diverse ecosystems are more robust, adapting to shocks like climate change and natural disasters far better than degraded ones.

The UK's national security assessment on biodiversity loss (2024) concluded that ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten national security and prosperity across all nations—through crop failures, intensified natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, and geopolitical instability. Every critical ecosystem on Earth is now on a pathway to collapse without major intervention.

The Five Drivers of Biodiversity Loss

The IPBES Global Assessment identifies five direct drivers, ranked by global impact. Understanding these is essential for any meaningful response:

1. Land and sea use change (30%): Agricultural expansion, urbanization, and infrastructure—claiming 50% of Earth's ice-free land surface
2. Direct exploitation (23%): Overfishing, hunting, and unsustainable harvesting—37.7% of fish stocks are now overfished
3. Climate change (14%): Temperature shifts, ocean acidification, disrupted species migration—species distributions shifting poleward at 16.9 km per decade
4. Pollution (14%): Pesticides, plastics, nutrient loading, and light pollution—over 500 documented oceanic dead zones
5. Invasive alien species (11%): 37,000+ alien species introduced globally, costing $423 billion annually

For a deeper examination of each driver and the systemic forces behind them, see Causes and Threats of Biodiversity Collapse.

Ecosystem Collapse and Tipping Points

Beyond gradual decline, multiple ecosystems are approaching or have already crossed irreversible tipping points—thresholds beyond which an ecosystem can no longer maintain its essential structure or function:

• Coral reefs: The warm-water coral tipping point has been crossed at 1.2°C warming. 84% of global reefs have experienced bleaching-level heat stress.
• Amazon rainforest: Currently at 17% deforestation; collapse is projected at 20–25% combined with rising temperatures and fires. Collapse would shift the basin to a drier savannah state.
• Boreal forests: Realistic possibility of collapse beginning from 2030.
• Insect populations: Over 75% decline in flying insect biomass documented in protected areas over 27 years.

Learn more about the timeline and cascading risks in Ecosystem Collapse and Tipping Points.

The Global Response

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) set landmark targets:

• Protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030 ("30x30")
• 30% of degraded ecosystems under active restoration by 2030
• Mobilize $200 billion annually for biodiversity finance
• Phase out $500 billion in subsidies harmful to nature

Yet current finance flows remain deeply misaligned: $7.3 trillion annually flows to activities harmful to nature, versus just $220 billion invested in nature-based solutions—a 30:1 ratio against nature. The gap between ambition and action remains vast.

OASA's Approach: Biodiversity Through Regenerative Commons

OASA addresses the biodiversity crisis at its root—the commodification of land. By restructuring land into perpetual commons, OASA projects are legally bound to regenerate rather than extract:

• 50% wild core: Every OASA project must dedicate at least half its land to rewilding and biodiversity conservation, creating habitat for keystone species and native ecosystems.
• eDNA monitoring: Environmental DNA monitoring provides scientific baselines and tracks biodiversity recovery over time without disturbing ecosystems.
• Regenerative agriculture: Agroforestry and regenerative agriculture produce food while actively building soil health and supporting biodiversity.
• Water retention: Water retention landscapes restore the hydrological cycle, supporting aquatic and terrestrial life.
• Humans as keystone species: OASA's philosophy that humans can become keystone species—actively increasing biodiversity rather than diminishing it.

At Traditional Dream Factory in Portugal, 50% of 25 hectares is dedicated to rewilding, demonstrating that human communities and thriving ecosystems can coexist and reinforce each other.

Related Terms

• Causes and Threats of Biodiversity Collapse — The five drivers and systemic forces behind the crisis
• Sixth Mass Extinction — Evidence and implications of the current extinction event
• Ecosystem Collapse and Tipping Points — Critical thresholds, planetary boundaries, and national security risks
• Rewilding — Restoring natural processes and biodiversity
• Keystone Species — Species that create conditions for others to thrive
• Environmental DNA Biodiversity Monitoring — Tracking biodiversity with eDNA
• Regenerative Principles — The seven core principles guiding OASA projects