Biodiversity

ISSUES

Biodiversity

Signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as « the variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, the ecological complexes and diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems».
Interdependance
In every ecosystem, living creatures including humans interact with one another as well as with the air, water and earth. Due to global warming – which leads to the displacement of species in both space and time (annual blooming seasons, for example) – and the disappearance of certain species, 60% of inter-species interaction has been eliminated (IUCN estimates, 2006). The more species there are in a functional group, the less vulnerable that group; a change in one of its components can affect the entire system. Inversely, saving one particular species requires ensuring that the entire ecosystem...

NEWS

18 endangered dolphins spotted off Borneo: WWF

Court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'

Orangutan 'exterminators' on trial in Indonesia

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DEBATES

Mountain forests under threat

FAO

The integrity and resilience of mountain forests is under threat from increasing temperatures and wildfires, population growth...

A Planet for All Apes

Two new movies released this month – one a science-fiction...

From tequila to the 'tree of life', bats are nature's invaluable allies

Were you aware that bats are key pollinators in many parts...

FOCUS

The return of the wolf

In Antiquity, the wolf symbolised both fertility and ferocity. The Romans portrayed the she-wolf as the adoptive mother of the founders of Rome and the male wolf as the companion of Mars, god of war. But with growing urbanisation, this positive view of the animal died...

VIDEOS

22/11/2011	A group of 19 critically endangered black rhinos have been moved from...	17/10/2011	KESEN-NUMA CITY, JAPAN - It's 5am on the the north eastern tip of Japan's...
12/10/2011	Illegal deer hunting is a real problem in the state parks of Florida. The...	04/10/2011	This video is based on a TRAFFIC/WWF report called 'The Big Cat Trade in...

GREEN TIPS

Hedges in Aveyron

The respect for biodiversity sometimes means going back to traditional methods, especially where agriculture...

INDICATORS

Biocapacity
National biodiversity index
Threatened ecosystems
Protected areas

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