New information for managing invasive species and marine reserves at the start of the 'International Biodiversity Observation Year'

San Francisco, USA - DIVERSITAS, an international consortium of non-governmental and inter-governmental scientific research organizations, has launched the International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY). Scientists, biologists and ecologists around the world have committed to making 2001 and 2002 breakthrough years in reaching out to share their findings about the global status of biodiversity and how it relates to human welfare. Improving knowledge about biodiversity may be the greatest scientific and educational challenge of the twenty-first century, say this international team of researchers.

At the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science biologists leading the International Biodiversity Observation Year will present information on new scientific findings and initiatives that can directly inform policy to support conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of healthy ecosystems. On Friday, February 16th, renowned ecologist Harold Mooney from Stanford University will present new information on the Global Invasive Species Program: Past Efforts and Future Plans as part of the morning symposium Stopping the Invasions: International Scientific Efforts to Stop Invasive Species (9am to 12pm). The symposium will examine how scientific information from around the world is being used to prevent biological invasions, focusing on intervening in the early steps of the invasion process, since once invasions occur, their removal is very difficult and expensive. In 2001 and 2002 IBOY aims to significantly increase awareness of the global impact of invasive species, in conjunction with an international initiative of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program - Global Change in Terrestrial Ecosystems which will synthesize knowledge of Impacts of Biotic Invasions in Terrestrial Ecosystems: Spatial Assessments, Base Rates and Consequences.

On Saturday, February 17th, preeminent marine biologist Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University, will chair two related symposia addressing advances in science and policy for the management of marine reserves. The Scientific Theory of Marine Reserves (9am to 12pm) will highlight recent work from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) to assess how factors such as larval dispersal, genetics in marine systems, catastrophes, and evidence for open vs. closed populations, affect the establishment, design and effectiveness of marine reserves. Melding the Science and Policy of Marine Reserves (2.45pm to 4.15 pm) will place the scientific findings into a political and social framework and take stock of the current status of, and plans for a variety of marine reserves. In 2001 and 2002, initiatives around the world are taking advantage of the IBOY to stimulate and strengthen coalitions that can effectively monitor and conserve marine biodiversity. For example, BIOMARE a Europe-wide program is networking research sites and protected areas to build capacity for large-scale and long-term marine biodiversity research, monitoring and conservation.

Increasing communication of such important scientific information on biodiversity and how and why science is being applied to conserve it, is a key element of the IBOY. �Exploring biodiversity will unlock many benefits, through discovery of new genes and chemicals that can be used for drugs, to improve crops or to restore polluted land," said Diana Wall, biologist at Colorado State University, USA, and Chair of the IBOY, "Perhaps even more importantly, learning where new species are, their role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and how we can conserve them will be vital for making more informed decisions about our land, rivers and oceans."

At the heart of IBOY are more than 40 international scientific research projects that will report important new information on global biodiversity. Using the latest technologies, such as genetic tools to conserve endangered species and Geographical Information Systems to produce the first atlas of marine life, scientists and researchers involved with IBOY will report on projects ranging from surveys of life in the canopies of tropical forests to the frozen soil of the Antarctic to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Jeffrey McNeely, Chief Scientist at the World Conservation Union and a member of the Advisory Board for the IBOY, describes biodiversity loss as "the quintessential global issue" since the over-consumption of resources occurs far away from the natural habitats and species that are lost in producing the resources. "Given the global roots of the problem," McNeeley said. "International collaboration on research is crucial in addressing some of the most important issues facing society today."

Stuart Pimm, well-known biologist at Columbia University, USA and a member of the IBOY Advisory Board, says that "extinction rates are now 100 to 1000 times the background rate expected without human influence and they are accelerating." According to Pimm, if current changes in land use continue "the total loss of biodiversity will compare to those during the previous five mass extinction events in Earth's geological history." According to scientists participating in the IBOY one-third or more of all species could be on a path to extinction within the next few decades.

Wall emphasizes how little is known about global biodiversity. "Scientists have described about 1.75 million species but we estimate that there are over 12 million species still to be described," Wall said. "We simply don't have good information on their distribution, whether they are plentiful or endangered or their role in providing goods and services that we get from ecosystems, such as renewal of soil fertility, decomposition of waste and purification of water."

Several educational projects geared toward the general public are also part of the IBOY. These include a museum exhibit which will travel across Europe and the United States, a digital library, accessible on the web, which will save the images and sounds of extinct and endangered species for future generations and an IMAX film explaining the links between people and nature A special education webpage for children was launched in January and, later in the year, an internet chat session with IBOY's biodiversity experts will be scheduled. Details of projects and announcements of special events can be found on IBOY's webpage at: http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/IBOY/

DIVERSITAS, the science team who launched IBOY, was established in 1991 and is headquartered in Paris. The only existing umbrella program to coordinate a broad research effort in the biodiversity sciences at the global level, DIVERSITAS is sponsored by the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Council for Science (ICSU, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS).