Coral reefs are vital ecosystems, providing a source of income, food arid coastal protection for millions of people; arid recent studies have shown that coral reef goods and services provide an annual net benefit of US$30 billion to economies worldwide
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is one of the global conventions on environmental conservation that came out of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By signing and ratifying the CBD, countries have agreed to support its goals and aims. The three main objectives of the CBD are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair
Sustainable development has been defined as balancing the fulfilment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but indefinitely in the future. The term was first used in the World Conservation Strategy, produced by IUCN, WWF and UNEP in 1980, but the 1987 report of the Brundtland Commission popularized the term with the often-quoted definition of sustainable development: "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
This report has benefited from the inputs of hundreds of individuals, a list far too numerous to include in its entirety. These individuals volunteered their time to support this effort, and to that we are deeply indebted. We want to thank them all knowing full well that this task is not feasible..
Call Number: [EL]
ISBN/ISSN: 978-2-8317-1030-3
Physical Description: 43 p. ; 29 cm
Bioenergy occupies a unique position at the nexus of energy, environment, climate change and rural development agendas. Consequently, bioenergy and biofuels in particular, have seen
record levels of support in the form of subsidies, mandates and investments as governments seek to maximize the perceived synergies between the various opportunities offered by bioenergy. Whilst it is true that well- planned bioenergy development can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a range of sources, increase rural incomes, reduce waste, improve access
A mangrove is a woody plant or plant community which lives between the sea and the land, in areas which are flooded by tides for part of the time. Mangroves make up one of the world's most unique ecosystems because they thrive where no other trees can survive - in the transition zone between the ocean and land. They are also among the world's most productive ecosystems.
Call Number: 583.42 MIT
ISBN/ISSN: 978-955-8177-72-3
Physical Description: iii, 28 p. : col. ; 25 cm
There is growing evidence that seagrasses are experiencing declines globally due to anthropogenic threats (Short and Wyllie Echeverria 1996, Duarte 2002, Orth et al. 2006). Runoff of nutrients and sediments that affect water quality is the greatest anthropogenic threat to seagrass meadows, although other stressors include aquaculture, pollution, boating, construction, dredging and landfill activities, and destructive fishing practices. Natural disturbances such as storms and floods can also cause adverse effects.
The goal of the Childrens Perception of the Environment Toolkit is to help children living in coastal and island environments in Asia to become responsible stewards of the environment through a better understanding of coastal and marine ecosystems. The Toolkit also seeks to improve understanding of how coastal and marine ecosystems can be managed in order to create a more sustainable human economy.
Climate change is a major threat to global biodiversity. From the tropics to the Poles, the worlds ecosystems are all under pressure. A study published in the scientific journal Nature posited that 15 to 37% of terrestrial animal and plant species could be at risk of extinction because of human-induced impacts on climate (Thomas et al., 2004). Scattered across the four corners of the Earth, European Union overseas entities, are home to a biological diversity that is as rich as it is vulnerable.
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute significantly to the global persistence
of biodiversity. The criteria used to identify KBAs
incorporate elements of biodiversity across genetic, species
and ecosystem levels, and are applicable to terrestrial, freshwater, marine and subterranean systems.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 155 p
The Oceania region is very prone to natural disasters having experienced two Category 5 cyclones in as many years; Tropical Cyclone (TC)Pam struck Vanuatu on 13 March 2015 and TC Winston struck Fiji on 20 February 2016.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 92 p
The world is facing a biodiversity crisis. Nowhere is that more apparent than on oceanic islands where invasive species are a major threat for island biodiversity. Rats are one of the most detrimental of these and have been the target of numerous eradication programmes; a well-established conservation tool for island systems.
Oceania is geographically one of IUCNs largest regional programmes, covering much of the central and south west Pacific Ocean as well as Australia and New Zealand. The Pacific Islands cover almost 15% of the worlds ocean surface. The area is characterized by a high degree of ecosystem and species diversity, as well as a high level of endemicity (often over 90% for particular groups) on many of the Pacific Islands. Increasing awareness about the importance of biodiversity and the threats to these species is critically important to the survival of all species on Earth.
The impacts of house mice (Mus musculus), one of four invasive rodent species in New Zealand, are only clearly revealed on islands and fenced sanctuaries without rats and other invasive predators which suppress mouse populations, influence their behaviour, and confound their impacts. When the sole invasive mammal on islands, mice can reach high densities and influence ecosystems in similar ways to rats.
Following the incursion of rats (Rattus rattus) on Taukihepa (Big South Cape Island; 93.9 km²) off southern New Zealand in 1963, and the subsequent extirpation of several endemic species, the New Zealand Wildlife Service realised that, contrary to general belief at the time, introduced predators do not reach a natural balance with native species and that a safe breeding habitat for an increasing number of at risk species was urgently needed.
Rat eradication is a highly effective tool for conserving biodiversity, but one that requires considerable planning eff ort, a high level of precision during implementation and carries no guarantee of success. Overall, rates of success are generally high but lower for tropical islands where most biodiversity is at risk. We completed a qualitative comparative review on four successful and four unsuccessful tropical rat eradication projects to better understand the factors influencing the success of tropical rat eradications and shed light on how the risk of future failures can be minimised.
The Baja California Pacifc Islands, Mexico, are globally important breeding sites for 22 seabird species and subspecies. In the past, several populations were extirpated or reduced due to invasive mammals, human disturbance, and contaminants. Over the past two decades, we have removed invasive predators and, for the last decade, we have been implementing a Seabird Restoration Programme on eight groups of islands: Coronado, Todos Santos, San Martín, San Jerónimo, San Benito, Natividad, San Roque, and Asunción.
Considerable bene?ts can be achieved for indigenous biodiversity when invasive vertebrates are removed from islands. In New Zealand, two logistically challenging eradications were undertaken, one to remove cats (Felis catus) and the other Paci?c rats (Rattus exulans) from Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island (Hauturu). Here we document the short- and long-term impacts of these interventions on the biodiversity of Hauturu. We also assess the extent to which predicted outcomes were re?ected in the measured responses for a wide range of species.
Many societies have rules rooted in legal tradition that require the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. The obligation of stewardship is a feature of
westernised legal systems. In nations following the common law tradition, the doctrine of waste requires owners of land to use it sustainably. Elsewhere, customary law systems
demand strict rules governing the allocation and use of resources. There is, therefore, an existing legal culture into which our generation's obligations towards the world's
resources can be set.
Incentive measures have long been used by governments to manipulate the ways in which
macro and sectoral economies work. It is however only relatively recently that they have
started to be applied to biodiversity conservation. An incentive for biodiversity
conservation can be defined asi: A specific inducement designed and implemented to influence government
bodies, business, non-governmental organisations, or local people to conserve biological diversity or to use its