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Fundamentals

Communique of the Interacademy Panel Conference on Biodiversity, London, January 13-14, 2010

BIODIVERSITY is the term used to describe the variety of life, at all levels from genes through species and to ecosystems, which is valued by people and cultures for reasons ranging from the aesthetic to the economic. Bio- diversity is being lost at increasing rates, largely as a result of human activities. Loss of biodiversity threatens the ecosystems that play a central role in supporting vital Earth systems upon which humanity depends. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems through provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual and recreational benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling. Every person in every country depends on these.

Increasingly, society is concerned about food and energy security, and the ability of natural and managed ecosystems to respond to environmental change. Biodiversity underpins many key ecosystem functions, including their ability to adapt to change, although the details are often not well understood. The increasing rate of global biodiversity loss necessitates prioritizing research and policy interventions that will identify and protect ecosystem function and the biodiversity on which it depends.

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One of the first international events to take place in 2010, the UN-designated International Year of Biodiversity, was a two-day conference on “Integrating ecosystem services into bio- diversity management,” held by the Interacademy Panel (IAP), a global network of merit- based science academies. More than 200 scientists from around the world attended, as well as many IAP members with science and policy interests from many scientific disciplines. The conference agreed on a Communiqué with key messages for the scientific community and for policy makers, as summarized here.

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