Biodiversity or Biological Diversity meaning

In legal practice, biodiversity (or biological diversity) describes the variety and variability of living organisms and the ecological systems they form, used to assess conservation value, inform planning decisions, and demonstrate regulatory compliance. It covers variation among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic environments, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; it includes diversity within species (genetic), between species, and of ecosystems. This reflects the definition in Article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity and is followed in UK and Irish environmental policy and regimes implementing the EU Birds and Habitats frameworks (retained EU law in the UK; EU law in Ireland). Many statutes use the term descriptively rather than as a standalone statutory definition. In practice, the term underpins Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment, conservation designations (SSSI/ASSI, SAC, SPA), protected species licensing, planning conditions and obligations, mitigation and offsetting, and corporate ESG and sustainability reporting. Core usage is consistent across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Specific duties and metrics differ (for example, mandatory biodiversity net gain applies to most planning permissions in England under the Environment Act 2021), while other jurisdictions emphasise general biodiversity duties and...