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BIODIVERSITY

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Definition of biodiversity

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Often referred to as "Biodiversity", biological diversity means the diversity of all life on Earth including genetic diversity, species, ecosystems and the natural systems and processes that are essential to life on Earth such oxygen and soil production and water purification.

The school grounds biodiversity survey is essentially an inventory of the plants and animals that are found on the grounds throughout the year and seasonally and the ecological functions in the immediate urban, suburban or rural ecosystems surrounding the school grounds that support plant and animal life.

Conducting a biodiversity inventory

Conduct an initial year-round biodiversity audit to determine what wildlife already exists on the site. It would be useful to make a biodiversity map to record when and where the species identified were found.

Every subsequent year, wildlife observations can be recorded regularly throughout the year. Students can create a new biodiversity map every year.

Monitoring biodiversity

Monitoring flora and fauna that is deliberately or coincidentally attracted to the site will help you evaluate how the project is enhancing local biodiversity over time.

Creating a biodiversity databank

Students can create a biodiversity databank to enter information on the wildlife that lives on the site at the start of the school grounds transformation process and to monitor the species that move onto the site as eco-niches are created for them.

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