Biodiversity : emphasising societal challenges

For a long time, biodiversity or biological diversity has been presented as the preservation of emblematic species at risk of extinction. In fact, biodiversity encompasses the diversity of genes, species and ecosystems in interaction. This group of living beings, of which humans are part, constitutes the biosphere. Biodiversity, today acknowledged as being essential to human development, has been subject to ever increasing attack. Numerous studies have shown that reducing the quantity and diversity of living beings, which includes us, reduces their capacity to adapt and evolve, affecting the services provided by biodiversity, vital to human societies.