What Is Biodiversity?

What Is Biodiversity? Biodiversity stands for biological diversity and refers to the variety of life on earth as a whole or in a given area, such as the Sid Valley.

The future of the planet depends upon a balanced, interdependent mosaic of habitats where living organisms interact with the physical environment. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat all rely upon a rich diversity of life.

Is Biodiversity That Simple?

Yes … and no. The definition above is purposely a simple definition of biodiversity. But there are others, some are even simpler but many are more complex. The thing is biodiversity isn’t a single entity or idea. Within the simplest definitions, there are many forms of biodiversity and that makes it more complex.

For example, in the Sid Valley, we have the biodiversity associated with the River Sid and its tributaries. This includes the plants along the banks, the plants in the water, the invertebrates in the water, the fish, the birds such as kingfishers and dippers and the mammals that feed, drink and live in the water.  And that’s just the tip of a biodiversity iceberg.

Then we have the biodiversity of the meadows and fields. The richness of these can be seen in the videos we’ve posted about “Life in the meadows”.

We also have richly biodiverse woodlands and woodland edges. Wonderful hedgerows with a mixture of wildflowers that we are monitoring every month of the year.

Then there’s the grass verges alongside the roads and lanes in the Sid Valley. They have hundreds of species associated with them. From trees, herbaceous plants, mammals birds, butterflies and moths to lichens and fungi of all sorts.

The River Sid ends at the sea and here we have a beach full of life and a seashore full of crustaceans, anemones, seaweeds, crabs and fish. And beyond the seashore are the wide-open oceans. The sea is one of the most biodiverse parts of our planet and we need to remember that our waste often ends up in the sea!

The following video from the Natural History Museum sums up biodiversity in a few minutes. But biodiversity extends beyond a few minutes of video. It has taken millions of years to form and mankind can destroy it in a few thoughtless actions. So we need to care for our planet and especially the Sid Valley .. our richly biodiverse valley.

Over the coming months, we intend to add a whole range of information about the biodiversity of the valley. The following are just a few of the topcs we’ll be including. Look out for the links to new articles as we post them.

How biodiverse is the River Sid and tributaries?

Biodiverse woodlands

Life on the verge

Seashore biodiversity

Plants of the Sid Valley

Butterflies

Moths

Herbaceous survey

Lichens

Invasive species

Deer in the Sid Valley 

Global Biodiversity

Evolution & Biodiversity

Hybridisation

The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity

Rewilding