Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 6 • Number 14 • 28th July 2006

Scientists Warn of Irreversible Biodiversity Loss

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In a joint declaration published in the journal Nature, a group of 19 leading scientists and policy experts from 13 countries warn of a “catastrophic loss of species”, with a great number of species expected to become extinct in the next century. “Biodiversity loss is essentially irreversible, it poses serious threats to sustainable development and the quality of life of future generations”, they noted. According to Charles Perrings of the Arizona State University and Vice-Chair of DIVERSITAS, biodiversity “provides ecosystem services such as disease and climate regulation, storm protection and habitat for useful species. The loss of biodiversity imposes real economic costs on society, and we need to develop clear science guidance for policy options.”

The biodiversity specialists call for the establishment of a UN-led advisory panel on biodiversity protection similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “For the sake of the planet, the biodiversity science community has to create a way to get organised, to co-ordinate its work across disciplines, a together with one clear voice advise governments on steps to halt the potentially catastrophic loss of species already occurring,” said Robert Watson, chief scientist of the World Bank and former chair of the IPCC. He also stressed that it is “critical to get the world economic system right because subsidies in agriculture and energy undermine the sustainability of ecosystems.”

The current rate of species loss is around 1,000 times faster than at any time since 65 million years ago, when the earth was hit by an asteroid that led to mass extinction. The four-year Millennium Ecosystem Assessment carried out by more than 1,300 researchers from 95 countries found that with the added pressures of climate change, up to 30 percent of all mammal, bird and amphibian species are in danger of becoming extinct by 2050.The Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) had set a target of reducing the rate of loss, but the rate of decline continues to escalate. The group highlights that the CBD dos not have “the structural means to mobilise the expertise of a large scientific community”.

“Biodiversity Experts to Create Global Intergovernmental Advisory Panel,” ENS, 19 July 2006; “Biodiversity: Warn of Species Holocaust,” TERRAVIVA EUROPE, 20 July 2006; “Earth Faces Catastrophic Loss of Species,” THE INDEPENDENT, 21 July 2006.