Biological diversity, often shortened to “biodiversity,” is the variety of plants, animals and microorganisms living in an area or region.  At the moment there are about 1.9 million organisms that have been named, with more being identified every day.  Recent scientific work suggests there is an estimated 8.8 million, while previous estimates have indicated there could be somewhere between 30 and 100 million species.  Either way, there is a lot of life on Earth that remains to be discovered.

We hope that you will use the Encyclopedia of Life to learn more about and contribute to our understanding of biodiversity. Explore the resources and tools provided through EOL to get started.