Backgrounder: Things you need to know about biodiversity

The 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity is being held in Cancun, Mexico. Following is a list of things that you may need to know about biodiversity.

Q: What is biodiversity?

A: Biodiversity encompasses diverse ecosystems, rich species and their genetic resources. The study of biodiversity covers a wide scope from micro-organisms, plants and animals to ecosystems like the land and the sea. Conservation of biodiversity is to protect diversities of biological genes, species and ecosystems.

Q: What are the threats to biodiversity?

A: The Earth and the organisms on the planet are being seriously threatened. From 1970 to 2006, the population of vertebrate species had fell by nearly one-third. Nearly a quarter of plants are currently at the risk of extinction. Other habitats are also facing severe degradation.

Q: What contributes to biodiversity loss?

A: Habitat change, over-exploitation, pollution, invasion of alien species and climate change are major contributors to biodiversity loss. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, habitat change resulted from agricultural activities and unsustainable forest management are the biggest threats to biodiversity.

The root cause of biodiversity loss is that human activities have gone beyond the carrying capacity of the planet's ecosystems.

Q: How does biodiversity loss affect our lives?

A: Human beings depend on ecosystems for food, fibre, medicine and freshwater, the mitigation of pollution, among others. Biodiversity loss may pose risks of the shortages of food, clean water, and raw materials. Pollution and waste will become uncontrollable. Economic development will also be affected for lack of raw materials.

Q: What are the goals and the role of the Convention on Biological Diversity?

A: The convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

Q: Why does the international community need such a convention?

A: The protection of biological diversity needs international cooperation. The biodiversity loss mainly exists in developing countries, or poor countries. To protect biodiversity in these regions needs the support of funds, technologies from the developed countries. Many migratory species and ecosystems are transboundary, which need international collaboration to reach the goal of protection.

(The answers are provided by Xu Jing, a participant of the conference and an expert on biodiversity at the Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences.) Endi