Elements of biodiversity include:

• Genetic diversity – the varied genetic make-up among individuals of a single species
• Species diversity – the variety of species within a particular geographic area, such as the birds, fish, insects, bacteria and plants that live within a wetland
• Ecological diversity – the variety of ecosystem types (such as forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, streams, lakes and oceans) and the communities within them. These communities interact with each other and with the non-living environment. For example, the mountain stone weta contains a form of anti-freeze in its tissue to avoid the damage caused by ice crystals in its body. This allows it to live in high alpine environments from Marlborough to Otago.

It is thought New Zealand has at least 80,000 native animals, plants and fungi. Only about 30,000 have been described, named and classified so far. Our number of native flowering plants and vertebrate animals (those with skeletons) is relatively small by tropical or continental standards.

To describe New Zealand’s biodiversity, it is helpful to break it into three parts – biodiversity on land, in freshwater, and in the coastal/marine area.