Biodiversity Conservation in China: Policies and Practice

Biological diversity refers to the variety of living organisms on earth, the range of species, the genetic variability within each species, and the varied characteristics of ecosystems. Today, loss of species and their habitats is a problem of global dimensions; it potentially undermines the equilibrium supporting ecological security. Estimates vary widely, but well over 1,000 species per year may be disappearing, compared to only 1–4 species per year from the fossil record. It is difficult to understand exactly what impact human activities have on biodiversity, because the total number of species in the world is unknown.