Biological diversity

Marine waters comprise by far the most extensive major ecosystem on the planet. WCMC has produced a region by region account of select issues in marine biological diversity: descriptive text on marine ecosystems, elements of biodiversity (including estimates of species richness and endemism), and marine fisheries. The aim is to help develop an integrated approach to management of marine and coastal biodiversity.

This report summarizes the discussions of the Workshop on Alien Invasive Species held in Montreal (CA) during the WCC October 13-23, 1996. This report is produced to foster implementation of multi-party objectives concerning management of alien invasive species globally. 

The Convention on biological diversity was drafted with in mind the conservation of the world's natural resources, their sustainable use and the equal sharing of their benefits. Among the primary utilisers of these natural resources is industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry and many more.

Reports on the status of protected areas establishment and management, principally in China, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. These countries exhibit great biological and cultural diversity and all are characterised by great pressures on natural resources. Written by leading academics and practitioners, the book provides a broad perspective from regional to national and local viewpoints. It reviews the status, problems and prospects for protected areas and local communities.

First edited in English, this is the first fully comprehensive study of the current state of the tropical moist forests of Africa. African moist forests, containing well over half the continent's biological diversity, are disappearing at a rate of about 2 per year, the fastest in the world.

This paper focuses on the historical context for the ways that both temperate and tropical forests have been exploited over time, suggesting that forestry is a dynamic enterprise for all concerned.

Adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the Convention on biological diversity has now been ratified by over 160 countries and forms the backbone of many of the biodiversity activities that have taken place over the last five years. However, despite the unprecedented success of this major international convention, many questions still remain unanswered and many uncertainties prevail.