Topic
Convention on Biological Diversity
About: Convention on Biological Diversity is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2232 publications have been published within this topic receiving 65599 citations. The topic is also known as: CBD & United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the potential role of Earth Observation (EO) as a tool to support biodiversity monitoring against the ABT and EBV frameworks, and show that EO-based measurements are adequate for assessing progress towards 11 out of 20 ABTs.
Abstract: Biodiversity is continuing to decline. This crisis has been recognised by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), whose members have set ambitious targets to avert ongoing declines in the state of biodiversity by 2020. These so called “Aichi Biodiversity Targets” (ABTs) are organized around five strategic goals, with indicators showing the level of progress made towards each target. Currently, measurements of many ABT indicators are not available. The Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) framework, developed by the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), attempts to form a coherent and harmonised set of observations of biodiversity. In this paper, we explore the potential role of Earth Observation (EO) as a tool to support biodiversity monitoring against the ABT and EBV frameworks. We show that EO-based measurements are adequate for assessing progress towards 11 out of 20 ABTs. In addition, 14 of the 22 candidate EBVs have a fully or partly remotely-sensed component and can be considered as Remote Sensing Essential Biodiversity Variables (RS-EBVs). Those with a partial EO component require further in-situ data and/or modelling effort to complete the EBV. While the status of biodiversity can be assessed with both fully and partly measured RS-EBVs, assessing trends is more challenging, particularly for partly measured RS-EBVs, as coincident time series of EO and supporting data are lacking. A synthetic pathway for developing generic biodiversity indicators using RS-EBVs is proposed.
99 citations
99 citations
TL;DR: Global comparisons show that Antarctica's terrestrial biodiversity is poorly protected, and existing protected areas are inadequate, unrepresentative, and threatened by increasing human activity.
Abstract: Antarctica is widely regarded as one of the planet's last true wildernesses, insulated from threat by its remoteness and declaration as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. However, rapidly growing human activity is accelerating threats to biodiversity. We determined how well the existing protected-area system represents terrestrial biodiversity and assessed the risk to protected areas from biological invasions, the region's most significant conservation threat. We found that Antarctica is one of the planet's least protected regions, with only 1.5% of its ice-free area formally designated as specially protected areas. Five of the distinct ice-free ecoregions have no specially designated areas for the protection of biodiversity. Every one of the 55 designated areas that protect Antarctica's biodiversity lies closer to sites of high human activity than expected by chance, and seven lie in high-risk areas for biological invasions. By any measure, including Aichi Target 11 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, Antarctic biodiversity is poorly protected by reserves, and those reserves are threatened.
98 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors set a framework for intervention in the relationship between biodiversity and tourism against the background of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and argued that intervention cannot and should not only be based on considerations of measurable impacts of tourism on biodiversity alone.
98 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed criteria used by 15 international initiatives, and identified eight criteria commonly used to identify areas for biodiversity conservation across these initiatives, including habitat cover, species occurrence, species richness, species' geographic range and population abundance.
98 citations