Biodiversity - a GRI Reporting Resource - Global Reporting Initiative

Biodiversity:
its relationship with
ecosystem services,
policy frameworks
and organizations
2.1 Biodiversity in relation to ecosystem services
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia,
terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they
Box 2: Definitions of biodiversity
Biodiversity covers a wide range of
aspects. Annex II lists biodiversity-related
terms in order for organizations to get
acquainted with the main topics and
definitions in this field.
are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems 4 .
Annex II only provides the scientific
definitions and explanations of biodiversity-related
issues. Social values
related to biodiversity may differ from
scientific values and can vary between
different stakeholders. For example,
an area may not be rich in biodiversity
from a scientific or ecological point of
view, but may be very valuable to local
communities for religious and spiritual
reasons. Organizations wishing to adequately
manage activities related to
biodiversity, and report on management
and performance in this field, need to be
aware of the views and perceived values
of all their stakeholders. In general, the
question of whether or not certain impacts
on biodiversity are considered
acceptable will depend on the values
stakeholders attach to a specific area
in combination with the scientific
assessment.
4] This definition has been derived from the
Convention on Biological Diversity (see section
2.2).
R e p o r t i n g o n B i o d i v e r s i t y
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