DIVERSITAS

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DIVERSITAS

• International Programme of biodiversity science

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What does DIVERSITAS do ?

• Provide common international framework for
  collaborative research
• Build scientific networks
• Promote standardised methods
• Guide and facilitate global databases
• Perform scientific syntheses
• Build an important link with policy fora
• DIVERSITAS adds value to national research

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Structure
Integrate biodiversity science, linking
biological, ecological, and social
disciplines 3 Core Projects
Published 2002
What biodiversity do we have? How is it changing?
Why?
What are the impacts of biodiversity changes on
ecosystem functioning and services?
Develop the science of biodiversity conservation
sustainable use
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DIVERSITAS Science Plan
Biodiversity changes

• Drivers
• land/sea use
• biological invasions
• pollution
• climate change
• socio-economic

Mountain bd Freshwater bd Agriculture bd Health
bd
Ecosystem goods services
Human activities Social, legal, economic,
political motivators
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• International Project Office
• Venezuela (IVIC, Caracas) since Sept. 04
• Draft science plan
• Focus 1
• Assessing taxonomic needs of ecosystem services
  research

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• Focus 2 Monitoring
• DIVERSITAS / GTOS workshop "Development of a
  Global Biodiversity Monitoring Network", Berlin,
  2-4 Dec. 2003
• Adequacy report on biodiversity monitoring (2005,
  GTOS/DIVERSITAS)
• CBD 2010 target
• Focus 3 Drivers of biodiversity changes
• Global environmental change and BD (DIVERSITAS,
  TERRAC, Tyndall Centre, Paris, May 05)

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• International Project Office
• The Netherlands ?
• Switzerland
• Science plan / implement. strategy, Jan. 05

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ecoSERVICES science plan

• How can the biodiversity and ecosystem
  functioning relationships be expanded to larger
  temporal and spatial scales and incorporate
  trophic complexity?
• How do changes in ecosystem functioning affect
  ecosystem services?
• What is the human response to changes in
  ecosystem services, and what are the consequences
  on ecological systems?

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Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

• Biodiversity and carbon storage (ESSP Global
  Carbon Project, Sept. 05, Borneo)
• Next generation of biodiversity research (Sept.
  05, Indonesia)
• Symposia at the DIVERSITAS OSC1 (Nov. 05, Mexico)

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Ecosystem services linking economics and ecology
of biodiversity

• BioEcon 6th workshop on Economics and the
  analysis of biology and biodiversity (2-3 Sept.
  04, UK)
• Developing innovative models linking theoretical
  ecological and economical models (3-5 Nov. 04,
  France)
• BioEcon 7th workshop on Economics and the
  analysis of biology and biodiversity (Sept. 05,
  UK)
• Symposia at the DIVERSITAS OSC1 (Nov. 05, Mexico)

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• International Project Office
• in the UK since May 03
• Science plan / implement strategy, Sept. 04

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bioSUSTAINABILITY science plan

• How effective are current policies for the
  conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity?
• What are the social, political and economic
  drivers of biodiversity loss?
• How does society choose and make decisions about
  the conservation and sustainable use of
  biodiversity?

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Activities in 2004

• DIVERSITAS Symposium, International Society for
  Environmental Economics, (Montreal, 14 July 04)
• Decision making under uncertainty (Montreal,
  15-16 July 04)
• Urban biodiversity (Montreal, 16 July 04)

• Measuring biodiversity in biomes of Indochina
  (APN grant, Cambodia, 16-17 Sept 04)

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Future activities of bioSUSTAINABILITY

• Symposium "The interface between biodiversity
  science and policy" at the IHDP 6th Open meeting
  (Germany, Oct. 05)
• Measuring biodiversity in biomes of Indochina
  (APN grant, Vietnam, 2005)
• ESF-BioPic "BIOdiversity Policy Instrument for
  Conservation"
• Symposium at the DIVERSITAS OSC1

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Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment

• GMBA formal partner in CBD MYPOW
• GMBA contributes to the Millennium Ecosystem
  Assessment (Chap. 28)

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GMBA activities in 2004

• Monitoring Indicators of global change in
  mountains, GLOCHAMORE (Vienna, Austria, May 04)
• Alpine grazing and mountain biodiversity (Luzern,
  Switzerland, June 04)
• Functional significance of mountain biodiversity
  (Portland, USA, Aug. 04)
• The use of vegetation to improve slope stability
  (Thessaloniki, Greece, Sept. 04)

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Freshwater Biodiversity

• First SC-Freshwater meeting (14-16 June 04)
• Draft science plan / implementation strategy
  (Feb. 05)
• Second SC-Freshwater meeting (14-16 June 05)

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Future activities

• Inter. Conf. "Integrated Assessment of Water
  Resources and Global Change a N-S Analysis"
  (GWSP, Bonn, Feb. 05)
• American Museum of Natural History symposium "New
  Currents in Conserving Freshwater Systems" (USA,
  April 05)
• S-African initiative on freshwater "The value of
  freshwater biodiversity for people" (S-Africa,
  April 05)
• Symposium at DIVERSITAS OSC1

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Greening Agriculture

• Scoping meeting Alexandria, 14-16 May 04 (grant
  US-NAS)
• Develop a scientific framework on biodiversity
  within agro-ecosystems and in neighboring
  ecosystems (Jan. 05)
• Symposium at the DIVERSITAS OSC1

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Biodiversity changes and health

• DIVERSITAS / SCOPE scientific synthesis
  "Biodiversity, Health and the Environment"
• Workshop (14-18 March 05)
• Publication Nov. 2005

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The Earth System Science Partnership www.ess-p.org
IHDP
International Human Dimensions Programme
International Programme of Biodiversity Science
WCRP
DIVERSITAS
World Climate ResearchProgramme
IGBP
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
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Additional event

• 1st DIVERSITAS Open Science Conference on
  Biodiversity
• 9-12 November 2005, Oaxaca, Mexico

You are all invited!
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DIVERSITAS and the Convention on Biological
Diversity

• Memorandum of Cooperation (1997)
• Scientific Advice requested on
• The Global Taxonomy Initiative for SBSTTA 4
  (1999)
• Assessment of knowledge of key species groups for
  SBSTTA 4 (1999)
• Invasive Alien Species for SBSTTA 6 (2001)
• Preparation of documents for SBSTTA 8 (2003) on
  mountain biodiversity (GMBA)
• On-going involvement in MYPOW of CBD on mountain
  biodiversity

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National Committees

• Established in 30 countries
• Goals
• -Link national projects to international
  programmes
• -Adapt DIVERSITAS to regional concerns
• -Facilitate involvement of scientists in
  DIVERSITAS
• -Provide financial stability to the programme

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www.diversitas-international.org