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 imited awareness of biodiversity and its connections
to our lives undermines the ability of public and policymakers
to make decisions for sustainable development. So say prominent
biologists and ecologists in a paper published in the January
2001 issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution, to mark
the start of the International Biodiversity Observation Year,
or IBOY for short. These and other scientists around the world
have committed to making 2001 and 2002 breakthrough years in
which to dramatically increase communication of their findings
about the status of biodiversity and its links to human welfare.
The IBOY is inspired by the International Geophysical Year of
1957-1958, in which scientists worked together across disciplinary
and national boundaries to advance knowledge about the Earth,
oceans and atmosphere.
 Biodiversity
is the variety of life on Earth. It is most often measured as
the number of species of plants, animals and microbes but can
also be measured in terms of the enormous diversity of genes
that make up these species or the variety of different ecosystems
on the planet such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs. Diana
Wall, biologist at Colorado State University and Chair of the
IBOY, emphasizes how little is known about biodiversity. "Scientists
have described about 1.75 million species, but we estimate that
there are over 12 million species still to be described. For
99% of species, we simply don't have good information on their
distribution, abundance, whether they are plentiful or endangered,
or their role in providing goods and services that we get from
ecosystems, such as renewal of soil fertility, decomposition
of waste and purification of water."
The international
team of researchers behind IBOY believe that improving knowledge
about biodiversity may be the greatest scientific and education
challenge of the twenty-first century. Wall predicts that "exploring
biodiversity will unlock many benefits, through discovery of
new genes and chemicals that can be used for drugs, to improve
crops, or to restore polluted land. Perhaps even more importantly,
learning where species are, their role in maintaining healthy
ecosystems, and how we can conserve them will be vital for making
more informed decisions about our land, rivers and oceans."
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New
technologies -- such as molecular techniques that rapidly measure
genetic diversity, satellites that monitor changes in forests
and oceans, and the internet that allows global data-sharing
-- put the goal of understanding and conserving biodiversity
within reach. However, scientists fear that much of the world's
biodiversity may be lost before these efforts are successful.
Stuart Pimm, biologist at Columbia University and a member of
the IBOY Advisory Board, says that "extinction rates are
now 100 to 1,000 times the background rate expected without human
influence and they are accelerating. If current land use changes
continue, the total loss of biodiversity will compare to those
during the previous five mass extinction events in Earth's geological
history." According to the scientists participating in the
IBOY, a third or more of all species could be on a path to extinction
within the next few decades.
Jeffrey McNeely,
Chief Scientist at the World Conservation Union and also a member
of the Advisory Board for the IBOY, describes biodiversity loss
as "the quintessential global issue" since the overconsumption
of resources occurs far away from the habitats and species that
are lost in producing the resources. "Given the global roots
of the problem, international cooperation is needed to solve
it," says McNeely. "IBOY is meeting a real need at
a critical time in the relationship between people and the rest
of nature, helping to promote international collaborative research
programs to address some of the most important issues facing
society today."
"How
much biodiversity is conserved and the benefits we derive from
it will largely depend on the decisions we make in the next few
years," adds Wall. "The IBOY in 2001 and 2002 is a
window in time in which to pull together to integrate what is
known about biodiversity, gather important new data and share
this information with the public and policymakers."
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At the
center of IBOY activities are over 40 international projects
that will make important new information on biodiversity available.
Research projects range from surveys of life in the canopies
of tropical forests to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. They
use the latest technologies, such as genetic tools to conserve
endangered species and Geographical Information Systems to produce
the first atlas of marine life. Education projects include: a
museum exhibit that will travel across Europe and America, an
IMAX film that explains the links between people and biodiversity
and a digital library, accessible on the web, that will save
images and sounds of extinct and endangered species for future
generations. IBOY's webpage (www.nrel.colostate.edu/IBOY) has
details of these projects.
Throughout
IBOY, scientists are reaching out to share their findings on
biodiversity. A special education webpage for children will be
launched this month. Later in the year, IBOY will host an internet
chat session with their biodiversity experts. As key biodiversity
activities and findings occur throughout 2001 and 2002, information
packs explaining why and how the latest science is being applied
to understand and conserve biodiversity will be published and
posted on-line. Plans are underway for a World Biodiversity Summit,
in late 2002, to showcase the new information and provide opportunities
to learn about biodiversity generated in the IBOY.
Ultimately,
participants hope that the IBOY will convey the scientists' optimism
that, by acting now, we can learn to conserve biodiversity and
reap its benefits in a sustainable manner. Wall explains that
"Every day scientists around the world are learning more
about biodiversity. There is much being done but much more that
can be done. We want the IBOY to raise awareness of this opportunity,
and provide new ways for people to get involved and find the
information on biodiversity that they need." 
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