Scientists from Diversitas, an international programme of biodiversity science, have warned of an alarming increase of animal extinctions as a result of threats to biodiversity and ecosystems. In a blog they seem particularly concerned about freshwater species.
At the 6th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in April 2003, 123 world ministers committed to “achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the local, national and regional levels, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth.” Georgina Mace of Imperial College, London, and Vice-Chair of the international DIVERSITAS programme says that ““We will certainly miss the target for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 and therefore also miss the 2015 environmental targets within the U.N. Millennium Development Goals to improve health and livelihoods for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people”.
The Diversitas programme is organising its second Open Science Conference in Capetown on Oct. 13-16 with 600 experts from around the world.
You can read more here.
