TOWARDS BIODIVERSITY...WHAT IS BEING DONE..?

What is being done?



New global agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity mentioned above, are helping nations recognize the existing value of their natural resources and its value to future generations. The Convention was developed during the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro where world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development" that meets our needs while ensuring that the Earth’s resources will be sustained for future generations. This agreement established good stewardship of these resources as nations continue to build economic development. The three main goals of the Convention are:

Conservation of biological diversity


Sustainable use of its components


Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources


The agreement commits countries to conserving biodiversity, developing tools for sustainability, and sharing the benefits that result from their use. The Convention is increasing equitable access to resources by giving sovereign national rights over biological resources. For example, if "bioprospecting", or research on biological resources for science, is allowed in a specific biodiversity-rich country, the "host" country must also receive a share of the benefits.


Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI)


MCBI works to protect and restore marine life on the West Coast, around the United States and beyond, by encouraging research and training in marine conservation biology; bringing scientists together to examine crucial marine conservation issues; doing policy research to frame the marine conservation agenda; lecturing, producing books and other publications to educate scientists, the public and decision makers on key issues, and building partnerships to solve problems affecting marine life and people.


GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, makes it possible for policy- and decision-makers, research scientists and the general public all around the world to electronically access the world's supply of primary scientific data on biodiversity.


Center for Applied Biodiversity Science


The mission of the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) is to strengthen Conservation International’s ability to identify and respond to elements that threaten the earth’s biological diversity. CABS brings together leading experts in science and technology to collect and interpret data about biodiversity, develop strategic plans for conservation, and forge partnerships in all sectors that promote conservation goals. CABS promotes public awareness and involvement in saving the planet’s living resources.


"Today’s mass extinctions are unlike mass extinctions in the geologic past, in which tens of thousands of species died out following massive catastrophes such as asteroid collisions with the Earth and dramatic temperature changes—today's extinctions have a human face." - Richard B. Primack, Boston University, Essentials of Conservation Biology, p. 3, 2002






» Chapter 4: Biodiversity by Dr. Peter Moyle


"This chapter will review the concept of biodiversity and then describe general patterns in the global distribution of vertebrates and the reasons why we are losing biodiversity so rapidly. The purpose of the chapter is to give some indication of what we humans stand to lose if we let present trends continue. We start by giving some definitions of biodiversity, then discuss species diversity, focusing on vertebrates, followed by a discussion of species numbers in relation to biogeography. The final section of the chapter is devoted to extinction, the loss of biodiversity."






» 15,589 Species at Risk of Extinction


"It is clear that the situation facing our species is serious and getting worse. We must refocus and rethink the way in which society must respond to this global threat," says Achim Steiner, IUCN’s Director General. "While most threats to biodiversity are human-driven, human actions alone can prevent many species from becoming extinct."






» Planetary Biodiversity Inventories - Mission to an (almost) unknown planet (NSF Fact Sheet) - What kinds of living things exist? Where do they live? How are they related? These are simple questions, but have few answers. Were life to be discovered today on another planet, resources would quickly be mustered to inventory its diversity. Yet we remain ignorant about most of the diversity of life on Earth. To date, only 5 to 15 percent of all life on our home base has been discovered and described.