Contents: What is biodiversity? -- How is biodiversity threatened by human activity? -- Ecosystem services -- Medicines from nature -- Biodiversity and biomedical research -- Threatened groups of organisms valuable to medicine -- Ecosystem disturbance, biodiversity loss, and human infectious disease -- Biodiversity and food production -- Genetically modified foods and organic farming -- What individuals can do to help conserve biodiversity -- Treaties, conventions, and intergovernmental organizations for the conservation of biodiversity -- Nongovernmental organizations working to conserve biodiversity.