Lecture Notes: Global Biodiversity Outlook 3

Introduction

• Released by the United Nations for the International Year of Biodiversity.
• Comprehensive report on the state of life on Earth.
• Based on scientific literature and 110 national government reports.

Key Findings

• Grim Reading: Ecosystems and species are under strain due to unsustainable development.
• Failure to Meet Targets: The 2010 biodiversity target set at the 2002 World Summit has not been met.
• Impact on the Poor: Disproportionate suffering from ecological changes is expected among impoverished communities.

Importance of Biodiversity

• Dependency on Biodiversity: Human survival is tied to biodiversity which supports ecosystems and services.
• Coral Reefs at Risk: Significant decline in warm water reef-building corals due to sea temperature rise and acidification.

Threats to Biodiversity

• Ocean Ecosystems: Overexploitation and destructive fishing practices threaten ocean food webs.
  • 80% of world's fish stocks are fully or overexploited.
• Land Ecosystems: One-quarter of the world's land is degraded.
  • Continued rapid forest loss, despite some progress in areas like the Amazon.

Progress and Challenges

• Protected Areas: Amazon protection increased to 57%.
• River Systems and Pollution: Many large rivers fragmented; variable water quality trends.

Declines in Species

• Freshwater Fish: 74% decline in tropical freshwater fish.
• Wild Vertebrates: 31% global decline between 1970 and 2006.
• Livestock Breeds: At least 20% risk of extinction.

Conservation Efforts

• Progress in conserving plant genetic diversity, but overall genetic diversity is declining.
• Ecosystem Services: Loss of biodiversity undermines critical services like food provision, climate regulation, and water purification.

Economic Considerations

• Critique of current capitalism as one-dimensional, ignoring social and environmental well-being.

Driving Forces Behind Biodiversity Loss

• Habitat Fragmentation: Loss and fragmentation of terrestrial habitats.
• Pollution: Excessive nitrogen and other pollutants.
• Invasive Species: Threat to native plants and animals.
• Overexploitation: Continues on land and sea.
• Climate Change: Significant impact on biodiversity now and in the future.

Urgency and Hope

• It's not too late to act; actions now can have significant positive effects.
• Diversity as Insurance: Agricultural practices using diversity to mitigate risks.

Conclusion

• Next two decades critical for maintaining stable environmental conditions.
• Need for strategic, measurable, ambitious, realistic, and time-bound global biodiversity targets.
• Report to be submitted to New York and Nagoya Biodiversity Summits.
• Collaborative effort needed to shape a vision for 2050 and a mission for 2020.