WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYWORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

“Biodiversity is the defining characteristic of planet Earth. Human beings dominate all other species. We divert more than one third of the sun's life-giving power to feed ourselves and our livestock, we have transformed around one third of land to agriculture, and we capture probably more than half the fish production of the oceans and seas every year”

 Mark Collins

Director, UNEP-WCMC

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

WHY WE NEED THE ATLAS

• We need to clearly understand where we are starting from before we can monitor the impacts of our actions for the future

• Maps provide a quick and easily accessible method of communicating - “one image says a thousand words”

• Data facts and figures are up-to-the-minute from highly credible sources worldwide

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

COLLABORATORS AND DATA SOURCES

• Atlas builds on past work by UNEP-WCMC• Relies on continuing collaboration with networks of

fieldworkers, researchers and other data providers and analysts  Major contributions to the Atlas:• BirdLife International• Species Survival Commission of IUCN• WWF • Other institutions around the world.

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

STRUCTURE OF THE ATLASFour Parts:

• Chapters 1-3: The biosphere: biological production, ecological cycles; assessing the diversity of living organisms; diversity through geological time • Chapter 4: Humans, food and biodiversity; human impacts on biodiversity • Chapters 5-7: Communities and trends in terrestrial, marine and freshwater biomes • Chapter 8: Management and planning responses

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

CHAPTER 1. THE BIOSPHERE

“net primary production is the amount of energy-rich material produced by photosynthetic organisms that is available to sustain life on Earth….

Humans now appropriate a large proportion of global production, and have caused planetary-scale perturbations in cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements”

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

CHAPTER 4. HUMANS, FOOD AND BIODIVERSITY

“…..agricultural intensification has led to conversion of large areas of terrestrial habitat…..humans are implicated in the extinction of many mammal and bird species in prehistory, and for decline and loss of many recent species …..about a dozen crop plants now provide 75% of the global calorie supply, but up to 500 plants are used in some indigenous systems”

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

WILDERNESS

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

HUMAN POPULATION DENSITY

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

“Forests and woodlands are believed to hold most of the world’s species…..about half of the post-glacial forest area has been cleared or degraded Marine fisheries are the largest source of wild protein…..the world catch had grown fivefold since 1950 but appears to have declined during the 1990s despite increased fishing effort Inland waters form less than one hundredth of the world’s water resource…..freshwater ecosystems in good condition are fundamental to human health and development, but these habitats face many conflicting pressures…..evidence suggests that a high proportion of freshwater species are in decline”

CHAPTERS 5-7TERRESTRIAL, MARINE AND FRESHWATER BIOMES

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE FAMILY DENSITY

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

CHAPTER 8. RESPONDING TO CHANGE

“international effort to address change in the biosphere did not develop until the mid-20th century…..important international agreements entered into force during the 1970s…..the global protected area has increased  the conventions on Biological Diversity, Climate Change and Desertification all arose from the 1992 Rio Summit during the following decade, conservation action has improved the status of some species and ecosystems, with growing emphasis on restoration measures… the future challenge for planners is to minimize loss of biodiversity while globally reducing hunger, ill health and poverty”

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

PROTECTED AREAS

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

WHAT THEY SAID"An indispensable resource on information about Earth's biological variety and why its conservation is crucially important for human survival and well being. This volume should be in the hands of biologists, policymakers, educators, and the general public concerned with our global environment.”

Joel Cracraft, Curator-in-Charge, Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History

"A thorough and up-to-the-minute account of the variety of life on Earth and how fast it is shrinking. One cannot plan strategically to prevent the loss of that variety without the information and maps that this excellent and timely book provides.”

Stuart Pimm, Columbia University

"It is an amazingly diverse collection of data on global biological diversity--very effectively analysed and displayed.”

David J. Chivers, Wildlife Research Group, University of Cambridge

"This is an exciting piece of work--well-written, well-researched, and authoritative.”Simon A. Levin, Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopaedia of Biodiversity

"This is an exciting piece of work--well-written, well-researched, and authoritative.“

Simon A. Levin, Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopaedia of Biodiversity

WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITYEARTH’S LIVING RESOURCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The first map-based view which sets the baseline for the living world in the 21st century

340 PAGES43 DOUBLE PAGE MAPS68 DIAGRAMS AND TABLES6 APPENDICES (115 PAGES)

Price: US$54.95 GB£37.95 Available from: http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9941.html

www.unep-wcmc.org