Considering the gravity of the threat to the world’s biodiversity and the toll that the degradation of biologiacl resources is exacting on individuals and development efforts throughout the world, quick action is needed to halt the loss of biodiversity. Such action must address many of the root political, social, and economic causes of the loss and degradation of biological diversity, but it must also be informed by the biological sciences.
The following recommendations for addressing the biodiversity crisis reflect this all-important biological perspective. They also complement proposals put forth elsewhere for increasing the developed countries’ financial commitment in biodiversity conservation.
- Enhance the Foundation for Decision-making.
- Accelerate inventory and systematics research.
- Increase support for community and ecosystem ecology research.
- Boost research in population ecology.
- Integrate the study of cultural diversity into biodiversity research.
- Establish Biodiversity Conservation as a Development Priority.
- Expand the short-term utility of biodiversity.
- Affix true economic values to biodiversity.
- Encourage Integrated Regional Planning and Cross-Sectoral Coordination.
- Explore innovative institutional management arrangements.
- Establish appropriate management incentives.
- Establish a Strategy to Guide Biodiversity Conservation Activities and Priorities.
- Promote Biocultural Conservation.
- Ensure that human culture and knowledge is conserved as part of conserving biodiversity.
- Enhance traditional systems of resource use, where appropriate, rather than replacing them.
- Anticipate the Impacts of Global Warming.
- Increase land-use flexibility.
- Enhance response techniques.
