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Maintaining a certain level of biodiversity is essential to preserve ecosystemic functions. Conservation of biodiversity is a matter of great importance for the well-being of ecosystems and humans dependent on them. 130 world leaders committed to significantly reduce biodiversity loss before 2010 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. This goal is supported and prioritized by a number of significant policy documents among which are Strategy for Sustainable Development endorsed by EU leaders in Gothenburg in 2001, The Sixth Environment Action Programme and Lisbon Strategy. ; Проект № 2016-2592/001-001, 574826-EPP-1-2016-1-RU-EPPJMO-MODULE, при финансовой поддержке Европейской Комиссии

he hypothesis of this paper is that the value conferred on nature designates both the ''objects of nature'' that are the subject of consideration, and the human beings for whom they are intended or who are responsible for them. These designation processes are dynamic and linked, but also interdependent. In order to examine these processes more closely, we make use of the concept of network, which integrates the action of different players in their specific world, as well as ''objects'' that can be as different as scientific nomenclatures, available sites, management plans, funds, etc. In other words, protection practices link up different universes, scientific models and practices, institutional practices, nature conservation practices and, finally, the evolution of species and natural sites that are not passive entities. The fact that we speak of ''socio-natural'' networks indicates that nature conservation is ''based'' on chains of equivalences that integrate these different players and universes. The processes are dynamic ones. The paper therefore examines how they can be stabilised or expanded, and also how they can be transformed in a much more radical manner. The study is applied to the Walloon Region (in Belgium). The paper first looks at what could be considered as the ''classical nature conservation network'', and then examines how it is called to evolve. The fact is that contemporary situations lead us to take account of different types of networks for conserving and maintaining nature. These are compared, and the paper examines how each of them attempts to take account of the increasingly complex and also increasingly open concept of biodiversity. This perspective of networking also leads us to conclude that none of these networks (scientific, economic, legislative, institutional, etc.) that go to make up nature conservation is capable on its own of giving value to nature. This is acquired - or not - only by building a hybrid chain that cuts across or integrates these different worlds. ; Peer reviewed

Summarising the state of knowledge about biodiversity in drylands, this text seeks to identify questions and strategies for future research and to lay out guidelines for management of biodiversity in desert and semidesert regions. The continuing sensitivity of drylands to desertification, the fact that they occupy 40% of the world's terrestrial area, and the increasing human populations in these regions, make the understanding of their biodiversity and its changes over time of central importance. Drylands also provide a natural laboratory to address general questions about biodiversity, ecological succession, etc., because the relative spareness of the landscape allows one to isolate all the variables more effectively than can be done in biologically richer terrains.

The opening conference to launch the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) was held 25-27 May 2001. The goal of the conference was to identify priorities in the study of marine biodiversity and conservation, announce the establishment of the Center, and solicit ideas for its future development. Invited participants and guests hailed from a diversity of disciplines and institutions from the social, physical and biological sciences, national and local academic institutions, national and international governmental institutions, NGO's, and industry. The agenda featured plenary addresses, which were open to the public, followed by a graduate student poster session and four panel discussions. We asked all participants to be their most challenging and provocative. Several themes emerged from the conference for which there was universal agreement. First, this is the time to tackle problems affecting marine biodiversity, and SIO is an ideal institution to support these activities. Second, the scale and the urgency of the problems require a bold approach in order to truly make a difference. Third, the need for natural and social scientists to work side by side was a recurrent message. Many participants urged CMBC to go beyond classic marine science curricula and incorporate law, policy, socioeconomics, and communication courses. Such a graduate program is not offered in any academic institution worldwide, and CMBC was urged to establish that kind of program as soon as possible. In conclusion, the participants viewed CMBC as a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the study and conservation of marine biodiversity, by using good, interdisciplinary science as an essential tool to understand and conserve marine biodiversity, and by training the future (first) generation of scientists with broad expertise in marine biodiversity and conservation as well as effective communication skills.

The issue of biodiversity, and more importantly the protection of biodiversity in the 21st century has become a dominant political issue. The international community has clearly defined objectives regarding the protection of biodiversity at the global level. Many international conferences and conventions have been dedicated to this issue. However, what we intend to explore and attempt to answer is whether or not this policy is sincere in its environmental inspiration as it deals with the protection of the world's natural resources, specifically the countless (unpolitical) species of flora and fauna. We should not forget biodiversity has a very different meaning for biologist that it does for politicians or for politics as a whole. Biodiversity, in politics, is in reality simply a politically correct synonym for natural resources. This understood, biodiversity has a political value if it serves to establish social peace and political stability. Capitalism, as a class society and political order, in practice, shows false concern for biodiversity and nature in general. This paper will layout the basic idea of an alternative society and attitude towards the issue of whether the current thought of biodiversity has its foundation in the ideas of ecosocialism. ; Pitanje zaštite biodiverziteta u XXI veku se nameće kao dominantno političko pitanje. Međunarodna zajednica ima jasno definisane ciljeve kada je u pitanju zaštita biodiverziteta na svetskom nivou. Mnoge međunarodne konferencije i konvencije bile su posvećene ovom problemu. Međutim, ono što želimo da istaknemo u ovom radu jeste odgovor na pitanje da li je politika zaista iskrena u svom ekološkom nadahnuću kada je u pitanju zaštita svetskog prirodnog bogatstva oličenog u nebrojeno mnogo vrsta biljnog i životinjskog sveta. Ne treba zaboraviti da za politiku, i naravno za političare, biodiverzitet ima sasvim drugačije značenje od onog koje ono ima za biologa. Biodiverzitet, u politici, realno jeste politički korektan sinonim za prirodne resurse. Tako shvaćen biodiverzitet ima svoju političku upotrebnu vrednost, on služi za uspostavljanje socijalnog mira i političke stabilnosti. Kapitalizam, kao klasno društvo i politički poredak, u praksi pokazuje lažnu brigu za biodiverzitet i prirodu uopšte. U radu će biti izložene i osnovne ideje alternativnog društva i odnosa prema problemu biodiverziteta kakv se može naći u idejama ekosocijalizma.

▪ Abstract  Introduction of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity and the growth of biotechnology processes have recently led anthropologists into the rapidly moving, ethically and philosophically challenging field of bioprospecting or exploring biological diversity for commercially valuable genetic and biochemical resources. Is bioprospecting an innovative mechanism that will (a) help produce new therapeutics and preserve traditional medical systems, (b) conserve both biological and cultural diversity by demonstrating their medical, economic, and social values, and (c) bring biotechnology and other benefits to biodiversity-rich but technology poor countries? Or is bioprospecting yet another form of colonialism—"bioimperialism"—wherein the North rips off the South's resources and intellectual property rights? This article reviews the current literature on bioprospecting that lies somewhere between current polemics and calls for more anthropological research into the bioprospecting process.

The Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken, SSIC) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) accumulates, analyses and disseminates information concerning Swedish species, habitats and ecosystems. The SSIC hosts the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) and produces the Swedish Red List. In addition, the SSIC is the leading partner within the Swedish LifeWatch (SLW) consortium, which cooperates with the Biodiversity Atlas Sweden (BAS) and the Living Atlas Community. The SSIC provides an open access biodiversity reporting and analysis infrastructure including for example the Swedish Species Observation System (artportalen.se), the Swedish taxonomic backbone (dyntaxa.se) and tools for species information including traits, terminology and species determination (artfakta.se). All systems, including the SLW Analysis Portal (analysisportal.se), rely on recognized standards to ensure interoperability and consist of databases, API:s and portals. The Artportalen platform now contains >69 000 000 georeferenced observations, along with 1 300 000 images, video or sound, of some 32 000 species from Sweden. The data are harvested by SLW and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In addition to reports from NGOs and the general public, which generate >90% of the observations, a rapidly increasing number of Swedish governmental authorities and agencies are using the platform to store regional and local species inventories collected by standardized scientific methods. There are sophisticated systems for validation and to secure data quality, and the records are used by scientists as well as by county and municipality councils as a principle biodiversity resource in environmental planning and decision making. Data concerning some species considered to be particularly sensitive to disturbance are classified and not openly available. These data can be accessed via a hierarchy of access levels so as to enable such classified data to available to, for example, environmental officers and to be ...

This Policy and Institutional Review (PIR) for Ireland is intended to characterise biodiversity spending and the context in which it is made. It examines direct spending and indirect spending in areas of environmental protection. It also looks at the extent to which Government Departments and Agencies consider biodiversity in their core policies, whether the sectors for which they have responsibility are supported by biodiversity and ecosystem services, and whether some of their policies conflict with biodiversity. The PIR complements the national biodiversity expenditure review (NBER) undertaken in 2017 and will inform the financial needs assessment now being undertaken to determine thetype of expenditure needed to implement the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2025, along with the question of how to mobilise these resources. ; Irish Research Council ; National Parks and Wildlife Service

The underlying project "Innovation in Governance" (Grant No. 01UU0906) from which this publication derives is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany. ; The interactive and anticipatory assessment exercise on which this report is based was part of a broader research project that focused on the innovation dynamics of governance instruments in the areas of environmental markets, public participation methods and sustainability transition management. By circulating these workshop results, we seek to contribute to a debate on biodiversity offsets and banking design with regard to constituting political reality in biodiversity conservation models. ; BMBF, 01UU0906, Innovation in Governance

"Ecology and Biodiversity of Benthos provides insights into the characteristic features of marine and estuarine benthos that play an important role in coastal ecosystem functioning, a primary level in the food chain. The book provides the latest information on multidisciplinary reflections by various researchers studying the benthic community. Through the chapters, ecosystem services are explored as a way to share approaches and scientific methods to achieve knowledge-based sustainable planning and management of benthic ecosystems. This is a helpful guide for anyone working on marine and estuarine environments, and for those who need an introduction to benthic ecology. The book has a wide range of scientific coverage since it caters primarily to the requirement of marine ecologists, marine benthologists, EIA experts, aquatic researchers, scientists, teachers and research scholars. In addition to this, it also serves as a reference for postgraduate/undergraduate students studying aquatic ecosystems."--Publisher website

This study seeks insights into how biodiversity is framed and visualised in EU policy. The paper presents analysis of both the visual content and written text of two brochures summarising two central EU biodiversity policy documents. The study illustrates how the two modes of communication differ. First, the written text primarily presents an anthropocentric and economic framing of biodiversity values, whereas the visual material generally features the beauty and wonders of nature. Second, the written text strongly emphasises the threats to biodiversity and the detrimental side of human activity, whereas the visual material generally shows close relationships between humans and nature, with humans engaged in small-scale outdoor activities. The analysis illustrates how various representations of biodiversity intersect in the same context, and that the visual representation decontextualises the issue of biodiversity loss from the human exploitation of natural resources and the concrete actions and processes causing it. ; Funding Agency: Stiftelsen for Miljöstrategisk Forskning

The Swedish Species Information Centre (ArtDatabanken, SSIC) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) accumulates, analyses and disseminates information concerning Swedish species, habitats and ecosystems. The SSIC hosts the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) and produces the Swedish Red List. In addition, the SSIC is the leading partner within the Swedish LifeWatch (SLW) consortium, which cooperates with the Biodiversity Atlas Sweden (BAS) and the Living Atlas Community. The SSIC provides an open access biodiversity reporting and analysis infrastructure including for example the Swedish Species Observation System (artportalen.se), the Swedish taxonomic backbone (dyntaxa.se) and tools for species information including traits, terminology and species determination (artfakta.se). All systems, including the SLW Analysis Portal (analysisportal.se), rely on recognized standards to ensure interoperability and consist of databases, API:s and portals. The Artportalen platform now contains >69 000 000 georeferenced observations, along with 1 300 000 images, video or sound, of some 32 000 species from Sweden. The data are harvested by SLW and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In addition to reports from NGOs and the general public, which generate >90% of the observations, a rapidly increasing number of Swedish governmental authorities and agencies are using the platform to store regional and local species inventories collected by standardized scientific methods. There are sophisticated systems for validation and to secure data quality, and the records are used by scientists as well as by county and municipality councils as a principle biodiversity resource in environmental planning and decision making. Data concerning some species considered to be particularly sensitive to disturbance are classified and not openly available. These data can be accessed via a hierarchy of access levels so as to enable such classified data to available to, for example, environmental officers and to be used in management purposes The SSIC has just launched new API:s, modules for improved reporting of species checklists and invasive species, and a new platform aggregating the services in a single web interface and based on responsive design and specific interfaces for different users (artfakta.se). Improvements are also to be made in the infrastructure of the Swedish taxonomic backbone, which now contains data for almost all Swedish species (more than 275 000 scientific names and 62 000 species). In 2002, when the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) was established, the SSIC was commissioned by the Swedish Parliament to identify all species of multicellular plants, fungi and animals in the country and to make the information available to scientists, conservationists and the public. The information is presented in the Artfakta platform and in a series of identification handbooks, The Encyclopedia of the Swedish Flora and Fauna. In addition, the STI supports barcoding activities, scientific courses and announces grants for museums and taxonomic research and inventories within poorly known organismal groups. The Swedish and Norwegian taxonomy initiatives work cooperatively to increase the collective knowledge of poorly known species and, as a result, more than 3 000 species new to Sweden and Norway have been found, approximately a third being new to science. The attempt to join forces between different Scandinavian counterparts via technical progress and to focus on digitalization and sharing information on species and communities from the same biogeographical region has proven a successful concept.