Great Smoky Mountains is world renown for its biological diversity, and the most diverse park in the National Park system. Biological diversity, or ‘biodiversity’, means the number and variety of different types of animals, plants, fungi, and other organisms in a location or habitat. Encompassing over 800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, no other area of equal size in a temperate climate can match the park’s amazing diversity. Over 19,000 species have been documented in the park and scientists believe an additional 80,000-100,000 species may live here. The 522,427 acre park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. [Source: National Park Service]
Environmental Diversity
Ecosystem Diversity
Species Richness
Human Modification
Vegetation Condition
Resilience
Conservation Management
90
38
94
67
33
83
82
Last Great Places Rank #65
Southern Blue Ridge Ecoregion Rank #1