Year in Review 2006 - Convention on Biological Diversity

The State of Biodiversity <strong>in</strong> <strong>2006</strong>
Fact
The effective use of biodiversity
at all levels—genes, species and
ecosystems—is a precondition
for susta<strong>in</strong>able development.
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, refers to
the variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity, the
comb<strong>in</strong>ation of life forms, their <strong>in</strong>teractions
with one another and with the physical environment
makes the Earth habitable for humans.
Our biodiverse ecosystems are made up of dynamic
<strong>in</strong>teractions between plants, animals, microorganisms
and their environment. These ecosystems, work<strong>in</strong>g
together as functional units, provide the basic necessities
of life, offer protection from natural disasters
and disease, and are the very foundation for human
existence and survival.
However, much of the world’s biodiversity is
<strong>in</strong> rapid decl<strong>in</strong>e. The loss of biodiversity today is
occurr<strong>in</strong>g at a rate of up to a thousand times faster
than the natural background rate accord<strong>in</strong>g to the
recent groundbreak<strong>in</strong>g Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
(MA) which says that a full two-thirds
of the ecological services provided by biodiverse
ecosystems are be<strong>in</strong>g badly degraded.
The loss of biodiversity is important not only for
ethical, moral and aesthetic reasons, but also because
it impacts on the world’s economy. The conservation
and susta<strong>in</strong>able use of biodiversity is essential
for poverty eradication <strong>in</strong> economically develop<strong>in</strong>g
countries. Healthy ecosystems provide mank<strong>in</strong>d with
a vast range of goods and services, such as supplies
of clean water and air and the poll<strong>in</strong>ation of crops.
Photo: Ian Britton/www.freefoto.com