biodiversity

Definition

The ecological buzzword that measures how many different species are partying in a given ecosystem before humans inevitably crash it. It's what environmentalists cite when explaining why we shouldn't pave over that swamp for another parking lot. The more biodiversity, the healthier the ecosystem—think of it as nature's insurance policy against catastrophic failure.

Example Usage

The proposed development would devastate the area's biodiversity, but the investors were more interested in biodiversity of their stock portfolio.

Source: Environmental science terminology

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