Describe what is meant by biodiversity and outline two reasons why maintaining biodiversity is important.

Biodiversity is the variety of life in a particular place, including the different species of plants, animals and microorganisms.
1. It keeps food webs intact, because each species plays a role and the loss of one can destabilise the whole ecosystem.
2. It supplies a reservoir of genes that can be used to breed disease‑resistant or higher‑yielding crops, helping food security.
3. Many wild species are sources of medicinal compounds; preserving them increases the chance of discovering new drugs.
4. A diverse ecosystem is more resilient to environmental changes, reducing the risk of collapse.