Biodiversity at Risk: Today’s Choices Matter

By: Ocean Studies Board and Institute for Laboratory Animal Research and Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources and Division on Earth and Life Studies and Board on Life Sciences and Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Board on Environmental Sciences and Toxicology and Committee on Developing a Booklet on Biodiversity for the Public and Policy Makers

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: A growing body of evidence has sounded the alarm that the biodiversity that supports and sustains life on Earth is at risk. Habitat destruction, resource exploitation, and climate change are among the many stressors that have put 1 million species under threat of extinction and sharply reduced the populations of many plant and animal species. While researchers and global leaders ramp up efforts to address this existential threat, the significance of species loss and the value of preserving biodiversity is not widely recognized by policy makers or the public. This booklet, produced by an international committee of experts, provides a publicly accessible overview of the many dimensions of biodiversity and why it's vital to the health of all life on the planet. The booklet also examines the causes of biodiversity loss and presents actions that can be taken from the individual to the global level to stop this decline.