WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY

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WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY
EARTHS LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The first map-based view which sets the baseline
for the living world in the 21st century
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is the defining characteristic of
planet Earth. Human beings dominate all other
species. We divert more than one third of the
sun's life-giving power to feed ourselves and our
livestock, we have transformed around one third
of land to agriculture, and we capture probably
more than half the fish production of the oceans
and seas every year   Mark Collins Director,
UNEP-WCMC
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WHY WE NEED THE ATLAS

• We need to clearly understand where we are
  starting
• from before we can monitor the impacts of our
  actions for
• the future
• Maps provide a quick and easily accessible
  method of
• communicating - one image says a thousand
  words
• Data facts and figures are up-to-the-minute from
  highly
• credible sources worldwide

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COLLABORATORS AND DATA SOURCES

• Atlas builds on past work by UNEP-WCMC
• Relies on continuing collaboration with networks
  of fieldworkers,
• researchers and other data providers and
  analysts
•  
• Major contributions to the Atlas
• BirdLife International
• Species Survival Commission of IUCN
• WWF
• Other institutions around the world.

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STRUCTURE OF THE ATLAS Four Parts

• Chapters 1-3 The biosphere biological
  production, ecological
• cycles assessing the diversity of living
  organisms diversity
• through geological time
•  
• Chapter 4 Humans, food and biodiversity human
  impacts on
• biodiversity
•  
• Chapters 5-7 Communities and trends in
  terrestrial, marine and
• freshwater biomes
•  
• Chapter 8 Management and planning responses

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CHAPTER 1. THE BIOSPHERE
net primary production is the amount of
energy-rich material produced by photosynthetic
organisms that is available to sustain life on
Earth. Humans now appropriate a large
proportion of global production, and have caused
planetary-scale perturbations in cycling of
carbon, nitrogen, and other elements
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CHAPTER 4. HUMANS, FOOD AND BIODIVERSITY
..agricultural intensification has led to
conversion of large areas of terrestrial
habitat..humans are implicated in the
extinction of many mammal and bird species in
prehistory, and for decline and loss of many
recent species   ..about a dozen crop plants
now provide 75 of the global calorie supply,
but up to 500 plants are used in some indigenous
systems
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WILDERNESS
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HUMAN POPULATION DENSITY
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CHAPTERS 5-7 TERRESTRIAL, MARINE AND FRESHWATER
BIOMES
Forests and woodlands are believed to hold most
of the worlds species..about half of the
post-glacial forest area has been cleared or
degraded   Marine fisheries are the largest
source of wild protein..the world catch had
grown fivefold since 1950 but appears to have
declined during the 1990s despite increased
fishing effort   Inland waters form less than one
hundredth of the worlds water resource..freshwa
ter ecosystems in good condition are fundamental
to human health and development, but these
habitats face many conflicting
pressures..evidence suggests that a high
proportion of freshwater species are in decline
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TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE FAMILY DENSITY
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CHAPTER 8. RESPONDING TO CHANGE
international effort to address change in the
biosphere did not develop until the mid-20th
century..important international agreements
entered into force during the 1970s..the global
protected area has increased   the conventions
on Biological Diversity, Climate Change and
Desertification all arose from the 1992 Rio
Summit   during the following decade,
conservation action has improved the status of
some species and ecosystems, with growing
emphasis on restoration measures   the future
challenge for planners is to minimize loss of
biodiversity while globally reducing hunger, ill
health and poverty
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PROTECTED AREAS
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WHAT THEY SAID
"An indispensable resource on information about
Earth's biological variety and why its
conservation is crucially important for human
survival and well being. This volume should be in
the hands of biologists, policymakers, educators,
and the general public concerned with our global
environment. Joel Cracraft, Curator-in-Charge,
Department of Ornithology, American Museum of
Natural History
"A thorough and up-to-the-minute account of the
variety of life on Earth and how fast it is
shrinking. One cannot plan strategically to
prevent the loss of that variety without the
information and maps that this excellent and
timely book provides. Stuart Pimm, Columbia
University
"This is an exciting piece of work--well-written,
well-researched, and authoritative. Simon A.
Levin, Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopaedia of
Biodiversity
"It is an amazingly diverse collection of data on
global biological diversity--very effectively
analysed and displayed. David J. Chivers,
Wildlife Research Group, University of Cambridge
"This is an exciting piece of work--well-written,
well-researched, and authoritative. Simon A.
Levin, Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopaedia of
Biodiversity
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340 PAGES 43 DOUBLE PAGE MAPS68 DIAGRAMS AND
TABLES 6 APPENDICES (115 PAGES) Price
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