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Video – action now for life on earth   

We are facing a serious crisis in biodiversity, the elaborate network of animals, plants and the places where they live on the planet. The rate that animal and plant species are becoming extinct, and the pace at which natural environments are being destroyed, are increasing every day.

 This beautiful, complex natural diversity underpins all life on the planet, and its escalating loss is a serious threat to humans and our way of life, now and in the future.

Humans are an integral part of biodiversity and have the power to protect or destroy it. Currently, our activities are destroying the natural world at an unprecedented rate through climate change, habitat destruction, over-harvesting, pollution and many other activities. We’re facing a global species extinction crisis.

But there is growing recognition that biological diversity is the lifeblood of sustainable development and human welfare. Well managed natural resources support peaceful communities, encourage well-balanced economic growth and help reduce poverty. Healthy biodiversity is essential to help us adapt to changing conditions, including a changing climate. This recognition must urgently translate into conservation action (IUCN web site)

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity

United Nations International Year of Biodiversity

IUCN International Year of Biodiversity

GDP, an important indicator of economic growth, is often badly measured using conventional methods, especially in developing countries where data collection can be weak. Researchers from Brown University are testing a new way to tackle this problem. By using satellite images showing changes in intensity of night-time lights, they are able to estimate income growth. More…

In her new book, Hope for Animals and Their World How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink, Doctor Goodall offers an inspirational message for the coexistence of humans and other animals.

She took time from her book launch to talk to IISD’s Nona Pelletier about her hope for the future and how ordinary people can make a difference in making peace with the natural world, beginning with climate change.

The recently released Human Development Report shows that “despite progress in many areas over the last 25 years, the disparities in people’s well-being in rich and poor countries continue to be unacceptably wide.”  This finding is based on the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and GDP per capita, was calculated for 182 countries and territories. More…

“By drawing on economics and conservation biology, it is now possible to develop collaborative frameworks within which developing countries can dramatically improve the long-term global prognosis for rainforest stewardship, biodiversity conservation, climate stability (via reduced carbon emissions), sustainable development, and poverty reduction.” – The Rainforest Coalition of Nations

The interview Seven Questions on Saving the World’s Rainforests explores the difficulties of reaching international agreement on forest conservation and at recent proposals for a new collaborative framework for conserving rainforests while helping to alleviate poverty in developing countries.

In association with the IISD Information Centre, Karl Hansen at The Living Rainforest interviewed Tony Juniper of the Prince’s Rainforests Project, in advance of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. The interview was conducted at the headquarters of the Prince’s Rainforests Project at Clarence House, London, England in May 2009.

Question 1 – What has the ‘global forest dialogue’ achieved in the last 20 years?

Question 2 – Why have countries been reluctant to enter into legally binding agreements on forests?

Question 3 – Has there been enough emphasis on forces outside the forestry sector?

Question 4 – Where do the recent UN proposals on ‘REDD’ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) fit in?

Question 5 – How can REDD address criticisms from indigenous peoples and community forests?

Question 6 – You are proposing an Emergency Fund to start saving rainforests now. Where would the funding come from?

Question 7 – How could marginalised groups benefit from these emergency funds?