Marking a biodisaster in 2010

Biodiversity is an all-embracing term devised to describe the variety of all life and natural processes on our planet. It was the biodiversity of geographical areas such as the Galapagos Islands that shaped Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

So it is perhaps appropriate that as we move out of a year of Darwin anniversaries we move into the International Year of Biodiversity.

A decade ago, the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity to bring greater attention to the importance of biodiversity and efforts to reduce biodiversity loss.

And in 2002, the nations, represented at a world summit on sustainable development, set themselves the target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss at global, regional and national levels by 2010. But sadly they have failed spectacularly to meet that target, and we will have little to celebrate in 2010.

It is generally acknowledged that human activity has taken the planet to the edge of a massive wave of species extinctions. The main cause has been habitat destruction, with other drivers including climate change, invasive species and the growing human population.

We are already experiencing the worst spate of species extinctions since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although some extinction is inevitable, it occurs at a natural background rate of about one to five species a year. But the current rate of loss of species is estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times the background level and could even increase to 10,000 times the natural rate.

Scientists say that the number of species declined by 40 per cent during the final three decades of the 20th century, and by the middle of this century as much as 30 to 50 per cent of the remaining species could die out.

Does it really matter? Yes. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment research programme, humanity’s future depends on healthy ecosystems. The assessment calls for the rapid implementation of firm policies before ecosystem degradation reaches dangerous levels.

Let us hope that the International Year of Biodiversity will at least stimulate vigorous action by all nations before it is too late.