The rich tapestry of life on our planet is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history. It has been shaped by forces such as changes in the planet's crust, ice ages, fire and interaction among species.Now, it is increasingly being altered by humans. From the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago, through the Industrial Revolution of the past three centuries, we have reshaped out landscapes on an ever-larger and lasting scale. We have moved from hacking down trees with stone tools to literally moving mountains to mine the Earth's resources. Old ways of harvesting are being replaced by more intensive technologies, often without controls to prevent over-harvesting. For example, fisheries that have fed communities for centuries have been depleted in a few years by huge, sonar-guided ships using nets big enough to swallow a dozen jumbo jets at a time. By consuming ever more of nature's resources, we have gained more abundant food and better shelter, sanitation, and health care, but these gains are often accompanied by increasing environmental degradation that may be followed by declines in local economies and the societies they supported. 


The value of biodiversity

Protecting biodiversity is in our self-interest. Biological resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations. Nature's products support such diverse industries as agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, horticulture, construction and waste treatment. The loss of biodiversity threatens our food supplies, opportunities for recreation and tourism, and sources of wood, medicines and energy. It also interferes with essential ecological functions.

Our need for pieces of nature we once ignored is often important and unpredictable. Time after time we have rushed back to nature's cupboard for cures to illnesses or for infusions of tough genes from wild plants to save our crops from pest outbreaks. The vast array of interactions among the various components of biodiversity makes the planet habitable for all species, including humans. Our personal health, and the health of our economy and human society, depends on the continuous supply of various ecological services that would be extremely costly or impossible to replace.

BooksGuidebook of Biodiversity Principles for Developers and Planners Find out more... 

News & Announcements more.. 29-Nov-2006 Fish Removal Aiding Native Species Efforts to remove non-native fish from parts of the Colorado River appear to be working, ... 18-Oct-2006 Is Okavango Delta shrinking? An international NGO, BirdLife has stirred controversy with recent findings that the Okavango ... 11-Oct-2006 Announcement: Scholarship Availability: Restore America's Estuaries' 3rd National Conference 09-Oct-2006 Dike removal restores slice of Nisqually River Delta Saltwater rushed back into a 100-acre expanse of pasture land last month that tides hadn't ... 29-Jun-2006 World's Largest Fish Caught in Thailand A Mekong giant catfish believed to be the world's largest freshwater fish has been caught in ...

Documents more.. 19-Oct-2007 Biodiversity and Fisheries Management Opportunities in the Mekong River Basin Full paper/ report of a case study conducted on biodiversity and fisheries management ... 19-Oct-2007 Managing Biodiversity in Pacific Salmon: The Evolution of the Skeena River Sockeye Salmon Fishery in British Columbia, Canada Full case study paper/ report on managing biodiversity in pacific salmon - the evolution of ... 08-Nov-2005 Overview of Wetlands Status in Viet Nam Following 15 Years of Ramsar Convention Implementation Vietnam launches first wetlands status report 01-Jul-2005 Biodiversity in Impact Assessment A document which sets out best practice principles for incorporating biodiversity issues into ... 30-Jun-2004 Reservoir fisheries in the UPPER Paraná River basin, Brazil Summary of a case study on reservoir fisheries in the Upper Paraná River, Brazil

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