Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. There are a number of definitions and measures of biodiversity.

Etymology

Biodiversity is a neologism and a portmanteau word, from bio and diversity. The term biological diversity was coined by Thomas Lovejoy in 1980, while the word biodiversity itself was coined by W.G. Rosen in 1985 while planning the National Forum on Biological Diversity organized by the National Research Council (NRC) which was to be held in 1986, and first appeared in a publication in 1988 when entomologist E. O. Wilson used it as the title of the proceedings Edward O.Wilson, editor, Frances M.Peter, associate editor, Biodiversity, National Academy Press, March 1988 ISBN 0-309037832 ; ISBN 0-309037395 (pbk.), online edition of that forumGlobal Biodiversity Assessment. UNEP, 1995, Annex 6, Glossary. ISBN 0-521564816, used as source by "Biodiversity", Glossary of terms related to the CBD, Belgian Clearing-House Mechanism, retrieved April 26, 2006.. The word biodiversity was deemed more effective in terms of communication than biological diversity.