Biodiversity is short for biological diversity. It simply means the variety of life - the great richness of living things in the natural world, everything from the smallest insect to the largest whale, from the tiny toadstools to huge ancient trees. Biodiversity is more than just a few rare animals and plants; it includes the huge array of species and habitats, the genetic variation contained within these, and it includes us.

Dumfries and Galloway has a unique and rich biodiversity. This variety is important for a number of reasons:

• Landscapes – Woodlands, meadows, lochs and hedgerows are not only valuable biodiversity habitats, but contribute to the distinctive landscape of Dumfries and Galloway.
• Environmental Protection – Floodplain marshes act as natural release valves for rivers in flood, and reedbeds are used to treat sewage.
• Tourism – Birdwatching, angling, and wildfowling together bring more tourists to Dumfries and Galloway than any other attractions.
• Farming – An agricultural industry that works with nature requires fewer inputs of fertilisers and pesticides, and food produced in harmony with biodiversity has significant market advantages over intensively farmed produce.
• Industry – Many of the region’s industries use products, such as timber, harvested from the natural environment.
• Health – Not only can biodiversity be a source of medicines (heart drugs from foxgloves), but recent evidence has also shown that patients recover more quickly in wildlife rich environments.
• Enjoyment – Imagine a countryside without wildflowers and birdsong. What a dreary place it would be to live!

Although locally driven and developed, the Dumfries and Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan is part of a national and international programme designed to maintain and enhance biodiversity globally. The need to protect biodiversity was recognised by world leaders at the 1992 Rio ‘Earth Summit ’ where the UK and 150 other countries signed the ‘Convention on Biological Diversity ’. In 1994 the government published the UK ’s Biodiversity Action Plan, which set out steps needed for biodiversity conservation in the UK (Biodiversity: the UK Steering Group Report, 1995). Scotland has a ‘Scottish Biodiversity Group ’ made up of a range of organisations both in the public and private sectors that have an important role in acting for biodiversity in Scotland.