Biological diversity is the new buzzword, the magic door to international funding and global travelling. We share the earth with million of other living beings. Just as we humans make up one species, there are perhaps five to thirty million other species plants like neem and rice, animals like the elephant and peafowl, and micro-organisms too small to see with the naked eye. USA alone has 1,25,000 recorded species, and perhaps many more times that number which are as yet undiscovered. This range of life form is called biological diversity or biodiversity.

The earth's biodiversity has taken more than 3000 million years to evolve, and today, it forms the basis for survival of the human species and other life forms on our planet. When we speak of global biodiversity we speak of the totality of genetic strains, species and ecosystems in the entire world. Similarly, we can also spe ak of biodiversity at a more localised level, such as in a continent, a region such as South Asia, a country or even a province.