http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130117142510.

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Global Approach to Monitoring Biodiversity Loss?

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Sea turtles in Hawaii. (Credit: Copyright Michele Hogan) Jan. 17, 2013 In contrast to climate chan e, there is no coordinated lo!al system in place "or meas#rin and reportin on !iodi$ersity chan e or loss. %n international team o" !iolo ists is now addressin this ap. In Science today, 30 researchers led !y &enri'#e (i #el )ereira, "rom the *entre "or +n$ironmental ,iolo y o" the -ni$ersity o" .is!on, proposed a lo!al !iodi$ersity monitorin system !ased on a set o" essential $aria!les. ,y determinin the most essential meas#rements to acc#rately and #se"#lly report on !iodi$ersity loss, /nown as essential !iodi$ersity $aria!les 0+,1s2, the researchers hope to impro$e the in"ormation "eedin into !iodi$ersity policy and stim#late in$estment in the meas#rement o" lo!al !iodi$ersity chan e. +3amples incl#de the enetic di$ersity o" wild, crop and domestic species, the pop#lation a!#ndances o" representati$e ro#ps o" species 0s#ch as !irds, and threatened and pro!lem plants and animals2, the co$er and three4dimensional str#ct#re o" ha!itats, and n#trient #se in sensiti$e ecosystems. *o4a#thor %ssociate )ro"essor (elodie (c5eoch o" (onash -ni$ersity6s 7chool o" ,iolo ical 7ciences said that o$er the past 20 years, !iodi$ersity loss has contin#ed at an alarmin rate, !#t there are critical aps in scienti"ic /nowled e.

89or e3ample, only 11 per cent o" co#ntries ha$e ade'#ate in"ormation on in$asi$e species, and a recent report !y the -nited :ations showed that, in spite o" "orest certi"ication practices now !ein widely implemented, ille al tim!er har$estin remains pre$alent aro#nd the world,8 %ssociate )ro"essor (c5eoch said. )re$io#s research has indicated that !iodi$ersity loss has a si ni"icant detrimental e""ect on the "#nctionin , e""iciency and sta!ility o" ecosystems and the ser$ices that they pro$ide to h#manity. 8;he impact o" !iodi$ersity chan e on h#man well4!ein and s#r$i$al is li/ely to accelerate as h#man pop#lations row and the climate warms, as demand "or water and other reso#rces increases and as nati$e ha!itat is con$erted "or de$elopment p#rposes,8 %ssociate )ro"essor (c5eoch said. 8In"ormed policy decisions are essential to a s#staina!le "#t#re, and a lo!ally harmoni<ed system "or monitorin essential components o" !iodi$ersity is needed to achie$e this.8 .ead a#thor, =r )ereira said it was essential to disc#ss the sharin o" international responsi!ilities in the de$elopment o" a tr#ly lo!al !iodi$ersity monitorin system. 8;he !i est aps in !iodi$ersity monitorin occ#r in de$elopin co#ntries, in re ions recei$in some o" the lar est en$ironmental press#res, and many o" these press#res are ca#sed #pstream !y de$eloped co#ntries,8 =r )ereira said.