BharatNotes Biodiversity
noun (mass/uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Any meaningful pursuit of sustainable development must treat the conservation of biodiversity not as a peripheral environmental concern but as the very foundation of food security, public health, and rural livelihoods.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
biodiverse (adj), biodiversification (n), biodiversity-rich (adj compound)
Root
Coined/Modern: Greek bios = life + Latin diversitas = variety, difference; coined 1985, popularised by E.O. Wilson
Etymology
A modern compound coined in 1985 in the United States, formed from Greek bios ("life") and Latin diversitas ("variety, difference"); the term was popularised by the 1986 National Forum on BioDiversity organised by E.O. Wilson.
Memory Hook
Break it down: BIO ("life", from Greek bíos) + DIVERSITY ("variety") = the variety of life. Picture a single forest teeming with countless species — that abundance is biodiversity.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The variety of life, conventionally at three levels: genetic diversity within a species, species diversity within an ecosystem, and ecosystem diversity across a region. Naming all three is what an examiner is checking, because answers that treat biodiversity as species count alone miss the genetic level that underpins resilience and crop improvement. The argument for conservation then runs through ecosystem services, food security and option value, rather than aesthetics.
Don’t Confuse It With
Biodiversity spans genetic, species and ecosystem levels. Species richness counts species only. Endemism concerns restriction to one area, one criterion among several for conservation priority. Ecosystem services are the benefits people derive, which is the instrumental argument for protecting biodiversity rather than a synonym for it.
Hindi Meaning
जैव विविधता (jaiv vividhatā).
Common Questions
- What is biodiversity?
- The variety of life, considered at three levels: genetic diversity within species, species diversity within ecosystems, and diversity of ecosystems themselves.
- Why does genetic diversity matter?
- It underpins a species' ability to adapt to disease and changing conditions, and it is the basis of crop improvement, so losing it reduces resilience even where species survive.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2025 — International Environmental Agreements
- Prelims 2019 — Ecology
- Prelims 2018 — Biodiversity
- Prelims 2014 — Biodiversity
- Prelims 2012 — Biodiversity
- Mains 2018 · GS3 · 15 marks — Environment / Biodiversity
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Biodiversity” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
