Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is disappearing at an unprecedented and most likely increasing rate. This means that the international "2010 Biodiversity Target", aimed at significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, will not be met. Science and governance for conserving and sustainably and equitably using biodiversity are key to decreasing the rate of its loss. Since its early days, UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme has initiated programmes and activities focusing on the diversity and the resources provided by nature, human impact on biodiversity, as well as how biodiversity affects human activities. These initiatives are intended to contribute to the fulfilment of a global biodiversity agenda.

A focus on key biodiversity issues
This section describes a few biodiversity-related domains where the Man and the Biosphere Programme is particularly active and where it brings value-added to other international initiatives on biodiversity: Science and Policy , Biological and Cultural Diversity , Education , Great Apes , etc.

Related links:

• Biodiversity in UNESCO
• International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD)
• Conserving Cultural and Biological Diversity:
  The Role of Sacred Natural Sites and Cultural Landscapes (Proceedings of the Tokyo Symposium)
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Biosphere reserves as biodiversity laboratories
• United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
• Cultural Diversity and Ethics of Science and Technology

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Biodiversity in UNESCO

Published by: UNESCO, 2007
Language: English

 
Biodiversity and Stakeholders

Published by: UNESCO-MAB 2006, Technical Notes n°1
Language: English / French / Spanish

 

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Biodiversity is the foundation of human well-being@ 24-03-2009 8:00 am UNESCO SC

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