Emergence et diffusion des formules diversité biologique et biodiversité dans Le Monde (1979-2018)

Since 1980 the environmental crisis has been increasingly covered by the media. This media coverage has led to the dissemination of specialized terms to a large audience. In the French daily newspaper Le Monde, diversité biologique and biodiversité are first used as synonyms. In 1992 the Rio Earth Summit has led to a large dissemination of those expressions. Biodiversité becomes more used than diversité biologique. Both expressions are viewed through the lens of human actions – either related to protection or destruction. Between 1979 and 2018, definitions of diversité biologique and biodiversité do not indicate any semantic differences but underline difficulties to confer precise semantic features. Metaphors of biodiversité illustrate two different conceptions of nature: the first one relies on an economic conception of species and ecosystems while the second one values nature in itself.