Native biodiversity refers to species that occur naturally in a given geographic area. A native species that occurs in a given geographic area is one that evolved in that geographic area, as opposed to having been transported there by humans. Let's look at an example of trees in North America. Most of us are familiar with maple trees. An example of a maple tree species that is native to London, Ontario, and the eastern deciduous forest ecosystem of North America is the Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum. The Sugar Maple has been in North America for thousands of years. It was utilized by indigenous North American people for shade, a source of wood, food, and undoubtedly many other uses prior to the colonization of North America by the Europeans. Now consider the Norway Maple, Acer platanoides. The Norway Maple is an example of a non-native tree species that occurs in London and throughout many parts of the eastern deciduous forest ecosystem. The Norway Maple was not present in North America prior to European colonization. It was eventually brought here from Europe by European settlers. The Norway Maple is a native species in its native range, which includes eastern and central Europe, southwest Asia, and southern Scandinavia. In the eastern deciduous forest of North America, the Sugar Maple is an example of native biodiversity whereas the Norway Maple is an example of non-native biodiversity.
