Article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biological diversity as "The variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part. this includes diversity within and between species and the ecosystems".

This strategy an action plan are derived from data on the status and distribution of biological resources identified and catalogued by a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional team and the Task-Force working in concert with international consultants.