Current status of terrestrial biodiversity

Heywood, Vernon (2001) Current status of terrestrial biodiversity. [Proceedings Paper]

A number of recent reports, such as the Global Environment Outlook 2000 World Resources 2000-2001, People and Ecosystems, and State of the World's Forests, have summarized the state of biodiversity on our planet, all of them recording an inexorable decline in the diversity of plants and animals ( and, by implication, microorganisms) in both terrestrial and non-terrestrial habitats. The details of this decline and its implications for action at national, regional and international scales will be discussed. The paper will also address the problems of assessing biodiversity in terms of its various organismal, ecological and genetic components. Emphasis will also be placed on the state of agrobiodiversity. Methods for assessing rates of extinction will be reviewed and their implications for conservation action. Reference will be made to the continuing deficiencies in our knowledge of the taxonomic calculus and initiatives that are aimed at addressing this, such as the Global Taxonomic Initiative and Species 2000, will be discussed. The aims and methods of biodiversity prospecting will be discussed. The focus on the ecosystem, as in the 'Ecosystem Approach' recommended by the CBD, and the aims of the proposed Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that aims to produce a world-wide integrated assessment of the capacity of ecosystems now and in the future to provide goods and services important to human development, will be considered. Priority determining mechanisms such as centres of diversity and hotspots, and techniques such as interactive geographic information systems, decision trees, and complementarity, will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the need for a co-operative interdisciplinary approach, involving linkages not only between institutions but also between disciplines. Thus herbaria and museums need to work in close association with conservation and development agencies, with the agricultural, forestry and genetic resource sectors, and with sociologists and economists.

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Abstract

A number of recent reports, such as the Global Environment Outlook 2000 World Resources 2000-2001, People and Ecosystems, and State of the World's Forests, have summarized the state of biodiversity on our planet, all of them recording an inexorable decline in the diversity of plants and animals ( and, by implication, microorganisms) in both terrestrial and non-terrestrial habitats. The details of this decline and its implications for action at national, regional and international scales will be discussed. The paper will also address the problems of assessing biodiversity in terms of its various organismal, ecological and genetic components. Emphasis will also be placed on the state of agrobiodiversity. Methods for assessing rates of extinction will be reviewed and their implications for conservation action. Reference will be made to the continuing deficiencies in our knowledge of the taxonomic calculus and initiatives that are aimed at addressing this, such as the Global Taxonomic Initiative and Species 2000, will be discussed. The aims and methods of biodiversity prospecting will be discussed. The focus on the ecosystem, as in the 'Ecosystem Approach' recommended by the CBD, and the aims of the proposed Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that aims to produce a world-wide integrated assessment of the capacity of ecosystems now and in the future to provide goods and services important to human development, will be considered. Priority determining mechanisms such as centres of diversity and hotspots, and techniques such as interactive geographic information systems, decision trees, and complementarity, will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the need for a co-operative interdisciplinary approach, involving linkages not only between institutions but also between disciplines. Thus herbaria and museums need to work in close association with conservation and development agencies, with the agricultural, forestry and genetic resource sectors, and with sociologists and economists.

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Item Type:	Proceedings Paper
Additional Information:	Available at Perpustakaan Sultan Abdul Samad, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. QH75 A1I61 2000 Call Number
AGROVOC Term:	biodiversity
AGROVOC Term:	natural resources
AGROVOC Term:	biodiversity conservation
AGROVOC Term:	environmental management
AGROVOC Term:	ecosystem management
AGROVOC Term:	government agencies
AGROVOC Term:	research institutions
AGROVOC Term:	sustainable development
AGROVOC Term:	ecosystem services
Geographical Term:	United Kingdom
Depositing User:	Nor Hasnita Abdul Samat
Date Deposited:	21 Jul 2025 01:14
Last Modified:	21 Jul 2025 06:22
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/595

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