Concept of biodiversity

• It refers to the variability among the living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystem.
• Diversity includes:

1. a) Species diversity: It can mean the variety of species in a given area.
2. b) Genetic diversity: It can mean the diversity of genetic characteristics within a species
3. c) Of ecosystem: It can mean the variety of habitats, living communities and ecological processes in an ecosystem.

Principles of Biodiversity

1. No net loss:

• Should be designed and implemented to achieve insitu.

2. Additional conservation outcomes:

• Should achieve conservation outcomes above and beyond results.

3. Adherence to the mitigation hierarchy:
4. Limits to what can be offset:
5. Landscape context
6. Stakeholder participation
7. Equity
8. Long term outcomes
9. Transparency
10. Science and traditional knowledge