sept yos
Posted by Arielle.conti on August 31st, 2009
News
- Conservation news from WWF
- Science Daily Biodiversity News
- Conservation News/a>
- Biodiversity News from Scientific American
- Land Management from Science Daily
- Wildlife news from ENN
- Ecosystems News from ENN
- News for the United Nations Environment Programme
Fact of the week
In west Antarctica over the past decade, there has been a 59 percent acceleration in the rate of ice loss. West Antarctica is now losing about 35 cubic miles of ice each year, which is more than 1.5 times the entire amount of water in the Chesapeake Bay.
Source: EarthGauge©
External links
- Biodiversity and Conservation - with the Year of Science 2009
- The Wildlife Conservation Society
- The Conservation Fund
- Biodiversity and Conservation Journal
- Biodiversity and Conservation Hypertext Book by Peter Bryant
- Global Issues: Biodiversity
- SciDev Net Biodiversity
Environmental professionals and EoE Contributors: Celebrate Year of Science 2009 with the Encyclopedia of Earth by authoring an article under this month’s theme: Biodiversity and Conservation. Email Arielle Conti to contribute to the Encyclopedia of Earth.
Encyclopedia articles
Biodiversity/b>
The word “biodiversity” is a contracted version of “biological diversity”. The Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity 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 a part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.”
Thus, biodiversity includes genetic variation within species, the variety of species in an area, and the variety of habitat types within a landscape. Perhaps inevitably, such an all-encompassing definition, together with the strong emotive power of the concept, has led to somewhat cavalier use of the term biodiversity, in extreme cases to refer to life or biology itself. But biodiversity properly refers to the variety of living organisms.
Go to the full article >>
Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment set out to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and to establish the scientific basis for actions needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being. Biological diversity plays a critical role in underpinning ecosystem services. Governments supported the establishment of the MA through decisions taken by the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international conventions. The MA was initiated in 2001 under the auspices of the United Nations and governed by a multistakeholder board that included representatives of international institutions, governments, indigenous peoples, NGOs, and business. The secretariat was coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme. More than 1,360 scientists from 95 countries contributed to the assessment.
Go to the full report >>
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
Biodiversity is being threatened at an unprecedented scale by global environmental change brought about by human societies. In addition to the many moral reasons to preserve it for its own sake, biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are crucial to human well-being at present and in the future. Ecosystem services (also called environmental services or nature’s services) are benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, that contribute to making human life both possible and worth living. Biodiversity can affect ecosystem services directly. For example, humans derive most of their essential food and fibers from animals and plants. Certain plants and animals are at the core of traditional knowledge systems. In many areas of the world, fields covered in colorful flowers provide enjoyment to locals and visitors, and support important tourist industries.
Go to the full article >>
People and Partners
World Wildlife Fund
United States
Encyclopedia of Earth Content Partner
Madhav Gadgil
Visiting Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University
United States
Encyclopedia of Earth Topic Editor
Conservation International
United States
Encyclopedia of Earth Content Partner
Mark McGinley
Associate Professor
Texas Tech University
United States
Encyclopedia of Earth Topic Editor and Author
Biodiversity Institute of Ontario
Canada
Encyclopedia of Earth Content Partner
The World Conservation Union
headquartered in Switzerland
Encyclopedia of Earth Content Partner
Kevin Caley
University of Nottingham
United Kingdom
Encyclopedia of Earth Topic Editor and Author/p>
Visit the Year of Science homepage for more individuals, organizations and resources related to this month’s theme, biodiversity and conservation.