Global Diversity Outlook on Dramatic Biodiversity Loss

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released the third edition of Global Diversity Outlook (GBO-3), one of the principal milestones of the United Nation's International Year of Biodiversity. The report is based on scientific assessments, national reports submitted by governments and a study of future scenarios for biodiversity which revealed that the "world has failed to meet its target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010."

The Outlook also warns that massive further loss of biodiversity could result to a severe destruction of many essential services to human societies and unrecoverable ecosystem shift to alternative, less productive states. However, such outcomes are avoidable if effective and coordinated action is taken to reduce the multiple pressures on biodiversity. Possible new strategies are outlined in the Outlook including the measures to address the underlying causes or indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, the impacts of increased trade and demographic change.

The Outlook will be a key input into discussions by world leaders and Heads of State at a special high level segment of the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September and in the negotiations by world governments at the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in October.

Details of the news article can be viewed at http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=624&ArticleID=6558&l=en