What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the word used to describe the variety of life on Earth. It refers to the wide range of plants and animals, and also the places where they live, called ‘habitats’.

Why is biodiversity important?

People depend on biodiversity in many ways.  For example, biodiversity provides us with a wide range of raw materials for food, building, medicine, and much more. The benefits that we gain from biodiversity, however, go far beyond the mere provision of raw materials.

Biodiversity provides a variety of essential services known as ‘ecosystem services’. These include crop pollination, pest control, and flood storage.  The security of our food and energy strongly depends on biodiversity.

It is essential that we protect and enhance biodiversity in order to sustain our mental and physical health as well as our material wealth.

Why is the South Downs National Park a special place for biodiversity?

The South Downs is a quintessential English landscape. It is of outstanding value in terms of biodiversity because it supports a range of internationally important wildlife habitats and many rare and threatened species. From the herb-rich chalk downland to wooded hillsides and heather-covered expanses of heathland, this is an exceptional place.