"We cannot even estimate the number of species of organisms on Earth to an order of magnitude, an appalling situation in terms of knowledge and our ability to affect the human prospect positively. There are clearly few areas of science about which so little is known, and none of such direct relevance to human beings."

Earth's plants, animals, and microorganisms -- interacting with one another and with the physical environment in ecosystems -- form the foundation of sustainable development.

Biotic resources from this wealth of life support human livelihoods and aspirations and make it possible to adapt to changing needs and environments.

The steady erosion of the diversity of genes, species, and ecosystems taking place today will undermine progress toward a sustainable society. Indeed the continuing loss of biodiversity is a telling measure of the imbalance between human needs and wants and nature's capacity.

The human race had 850 million members when it entered the industrial age, sharing Earth with life forms nearly as diverse as the planet has ever possessed.

Today, with population nearly six times as large and resource consumption proportionately far greater, both the limits of nature and the price of overstepping them are becoming clear.

A turning point is upon us. We can continue to simplify the environment to meet immediate needs, at the cost of long-term benefits, or we can conserve life's precious diversity and use it sustainably.

We can deliver to the next generation (and the next) a world rich in possibilities or one impoverished of life; but social and economic development will succeed only if we do the first.