Investigate Biodiversity

The Basics of Biodiversity

The words “biodiversity” and “conservation” make headline news regularly, but how much do we really understand the meaning of these terms and their impact on our world?

Part of the problem is that our daily lives isolate us from nature. We no longer have firsthand experience with the way the world works—and this lack of knowledge may be catching up with us.

Our challenge now is to learn as much as we can about the part we play in this complex and interdependent web of life. By gaining new perspectives on our place in the natural world, we can create a more responsible society that will empathize with other living things and protect our planet’s natural resources.

Select a topic below to learn more about the basics of biodiversity.

	What is Biodiversity? Get the complete picture of biodiversity—it includes more than you may think! You’ll be surprised by how many species we know about…and how many more have yet to be discovered.
	Why is Biodiversity Important? Check out the ways we depend upon biodiversity for our economic, physical, and emotional well-being.
	What’s the Status of Biodiversity? Find out the threats that biodiversity faces today and how these are affecting the extinction rate of plants and animals.
	How Can We Protect Biodiversity? Discover the three important steps to protecting biodiversity and learn how The Field Museum is translating research and collections into conservation actions.

continue to What is Biodiversity? >>

The loss of biodiversity is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

—John W. McCarter, Jr.
President and CEO
The Field Museum