© UNESCO/Alison Clayson
Galapagos: sea lion couple relaxing

In the framework of the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), the UNESCO IYB Biodiversity Science Policy Conference provides an opportunity to present new scientific findings on biodiversity and ecosystem services, including in relation to global and climate change and to assess related implications for policy-making.
While taking into account the priorities expressed by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Conference is intended to pay special attention to the voice of the scientific community in order to bring novel knowledge that could be used in the context of biodiversity-related decisions. As such, all papers included in the proceedings of this Conference will be presented with the main recommendations and the declaration emanating from the Conference at the 185th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO in the autumn of 2010 and at the tenth Meeting of the Parties to the CBD to be held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010.