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GreenFacts launches biodiversity Digest
Montreal, Brussels – 21 May 2007 As a contribution to the International Day for Biological Diversity, an online summary of the second edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook has been launched today in collaboration with GreenFacts. Global Biodiversity Outlook 2, published last year by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, takes stock of the Earth’s biodiversity, analyses the factors leading to biodiversity loss, and advocates key interventions that would reduce pressure on the natural environment. GreenFacts is an independent non-profit organization with a multi-stakeholder governance and a non-advocacy policy, known for bringing complex scientific reports on health and the environment to the reach of non-experts by publishing clear and faithful summaries of these reports. The latest addition to GreenFacts Digests, the summary of Global Biodiversity Outlook 2, was prepared with financial support from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and in partnership with Countdown 2010. Similar to the biodiversity summary of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment published last year, GreenFacts has now distilled the content of Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 in three levels of detail ranging from a dozen key questions and short answers on the main issues, through more elaborate explanations to the relevant sections of the original document. Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention, said “Informing the public in simple terms of the scientific underpinning of the loss of biodiversity is key for engaging all stakeholders for protecting life on Earth.” He added “GreenFacts is to be applauded for its contribution to raising public awareness on this very important issue of conservation and preservation of biodiversity.” In elaborating on current trends in biodiversity, future scenarios and necessary conservation action, the GreenFacts Digest of Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 communicates the latest scientific consensus findings on our living environment both on land and in water. The Digest reminds us that biodiversity plays an important role in the way ecosystems function and in the many services they provide. Services include nutrients and water cycling, soil formation and retention, resistance against invasive species, pollination of plants, regulation of climate, as well as pest and pollution control by ecosystems. Land use change, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, and pollution are identified as the main factors leading to biodiversity loss. Based on Global Biodiversity Outlook 2, GreenFacts highlights that, while protected areas are an essential conservation tool to slow down the loss of biodiversity, they are by no means sufficient and must be complemented by economic incentives to conserve biodiversity and to use ecosystem services sustainably. Moreover, biodiversity must be integrated into the agriculture, fishery, and forestry sectors. For more information on the celebrations please visit: Subscribe to our RSS Feed For further details visit www.greenfacts.org or contact Sandra Nebe
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