Synopsis

Explains what biodiversity is, why it is important, how it is threatened, and what can be done to preserve it.

Executive Summary

The values associated with biological resources range from ethical considerations to the direct and indirect impacts of the Earth's biotic wealth upon the lives of people on every continent.

Targeted for the general reader interested in learning about biodiversity issues, Conserving the World's Biological Diversity explains what biodiversity is, why it is important, and how it is threatened by current development and resource exploitation policies. The authors discuss various approaches to biodiversity conservation, including current strategies and actions and ways to pay for them, and they conclude with a call for the incorporation of new partners into the biodiversity effort.

Appendices include the World Charter for Nature, a history of international legislation supporting biodiversity conservation, the Bali Action Plan, and an extensive glossary.