Biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Terrestrial biodiversity is usually greater near the Equator, which is the result of the warm climate and high primary productivity. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth, and is richer in the tropics. These tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10 percent of earth's surface, and contain about 90 percent of the world's species. Marine biodiversity is usually higher along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans. There are latitudinal gradients in species diversity. Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots, and has been increasing through time, but will be likely to slow in the future.

Three levels

Three levels of Biological Diversity are commonly discussed — genetic, species and ecosystem diversity:

1. Genetic diversity is all the different genes contained in all the living species, including individual plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

2. Species diversity is all the different species, as well as the differences within and between different species.

3. Ecosystem diversity is all the different habitats, biological communities and ecological processes, as well as variation within individual ecosystems.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 196 Parties, the CBD has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community.

Extinction threat

Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. Since 1970, there has been on average almost a 70% decline in the populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. It is thought that one million animal and plant species – almost a quarter of the global total – are threatened with extinction. These losses in biodiversity are undermining the productivity, resilience and adaptability of nature. This is in turn putting economies, livelihoods and well-being at risk.

The Dasgupta Review

In February 2021, Professor Partha Dasgupta published his UK Government-funded report "The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review" which presents a new economic framework, grounded in ecology and Earth Sciences, in order to understand the sustainability of our engagement with Nature, and identify the options humanity has to enhance biodiversity and prosperity.

CBD COP 15

The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) aka the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15) was originally scheduled for October 2020 but, because of COVID-19, will now be held 17-30 May 2021, in Kunming, China.

CBD COP 15 will review the achievement and delivery of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. It is also anticipated that the final decision on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework will be taken, together with decisions on related topics including capacity building and resource mobilisation.

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