Biodiversity
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, means the diversity of life on Earth – the variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part.
Three levels of biodiversity are distinguished:
- The diversity of ecosystems and ecological communities, habitats and landscapes
- Diversity between species
- Genetic variety within species
The main international agreement on biodiversity conservation is the 
Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD.
The German National Biodiversity Strategy was adopted by cabinet resolution of 7 November 2007.
One of the objectives of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) is conservation and promotion of biodiversity. This ranks equally with the objectives of promoting sustainable use of biodiversity and promoting nature conservation as an overall responsibility of society.
BfN activities in recent years have focused on
- formulating guidelines for sustainable tourism in sensitive areas
- creating a global protected area network
- furthering the development of the
ecosystem approach
- drafting international guidelines for access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their utilisation (‘access and benefit sharing’, or ABS)
- Climate change and its effects on biodiversity form another increasing focus of the Agency’s ongoing work.
