Biodiversity is the total richness of biological variation. A result of genetic diversity. The scope of biodiversity ranges from the genetic variation of individual organisms within and among populations of a species to different species existing together in ecological communities. Definitions of biodiversity may also include spatial patterns and time related (temporal) dynamics of populations and communities on the landscape. The geographical scales at which biodiversity can be considered range from local to regional, state or provincial, national, continental, and ultimately to global.

About 1.7 million of Earth's species have been identified. About 6% of the identified species live in boreal or polar latitudes, 59% in the temperate zones, and the remaining 35% in the tropics. However, our knowledge of the full complement of species on Earth is far less than complete, especially for species inhabiting tropical countries. According to some estimates, there are as many as 30 to 50 million species, 90% of which...