Minimum viable population

Minimum viable population is the smallest size of a population that can continue to survive over a long period of time. Imagine a group of people: if there are too few people, it can be hard for the group to reproduce and make sure there are enough young people in the group to continue on over time. Also, if there are too few of a certain kind of animal, it could be hard for the group to find enough food, or they might not have enough genetic variety to stay healthy. Having the right number of people or animals is important so that groups can survive over a long period of time.