Everyone Counts

BIO + MED

by SUZANNE BARTRAM

Everyone Counts

Creating a global biodiversity observation network

Credit: sxc.hu

According to a 2007 report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, “16,119 species of animals and plants are threatened with extinction and many ecosystems – wetlands, forests – are being degraded and destroyed.” The consequences of humanity’s presence on Earth have increased in the past decade. Issues such as global warming, the collapse of fisheries, declining air quality and increasing water scarcity are coming to the fore in discussions held by political and public agencies around the globe. One of the most pressing concerns lies in the loss of biodiversity. “Biodiversity” encompasses all living things and their interactions with each other in a particular ecosystem. The study of biodiversity looks at the origins, maintenance and loss of many dimensions of diversity extending from genes to ecosystems. It is crucial that we come to understand the many facets and influences of biodiversity in order to better understand the forces that threaten to destabilize the very foundations of human survival.

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Approaches to Biodiversity

Harold Mooney, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biology, works with numerous organizations both at Stanford and beyond to study global biodiversity. As chair for the international research program Diversitas, which focuses on the ethical, economical, and biological consequences of loss of diversity, Mooney is particularly interested in the role biodiversity plays in national stability. The “wealth of nations,” he explains, is subdivided into three areas of capital: monetary, social, and natural. Even despite the current economic downturn, many countries are experiencing a net growth in monetary wealth due to industrialization and globalization. Social wealth is also rising with higher literacy rates and better health care. However, natural wealth has been severely depleted in recent history, and has fallen into an imbalance as a result. Society is not only losing the aesthetic appeal of diverse species, but also valuable ecosystem services such as crop pollination that are only maintainable through the biological diversity of the region. Moreover,

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“Stanford represents an ideal environment for learning about the interactions of society and biological diversity.“ - Harold Mooney

In order to track these losses, Diversitas and other environmental organizations have begun a collaborative effort to create a global biodiversity observation system. Surprisingly, the creation of such a system is not limited by available information – there are years worth of studies available – but lack of a suitable organization scheme. “We have all the pieces,” says Mooney, “but we don’t have a good handle on how it all fits together.” Before we can understand the role of biodiversity in today’s world, a greater understanding of its changing status must be attained. Controls and trends must be established in order to compare today’s research with past history. One would then be able to map the actual rate of change in biodiversity against the natural variation that should occur. This would provide explicit scientific evidence as to the magnitude of human impact on biodiversity. In order to stop the loss of biodiversity, we must first quantify how much loss is occurring and relate the significance of these losses in terms that society could comprehend, be they ethical, aesthetic or economic. A biodiversity observation network could provide exactly the evidence, and social impetus necessary.

The Global Biodiversity Observation System and GEOSS The Group On Earth Observations Biodiversity Observations Network (GEO BON) was created with the intent to develop cooperative strategies between public organizations and governments by which to promote environmental conservation.

According to its mission, GEO BON consists of a “global partnership to help collect, manage, analyze, and report data relating to the status of the world’s biodiversity.” Over seventy-four GEO members and fifty-one organizations are a part of this large-scale project. Currently, GEO is also forming GEOSS, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. GEOSS distinguishes nine essential “Societal Benefit Areas” on which to focus – disasters, health, energy, climate, water, weather, ecosystems, agriculture, and biodiversity. GEOSS is creating a web portal to allow members to attain data, services, tools, and even modeling applications for use on decision-making and policies. In effect, it aims to streamline data collection, standardize practices, and encourage information exchange in order to expand research from the most basic levels for application on a global scale. GEOSS represents a hugely interconnected network. All participating GEO members and organizations own a part of the system and have access to the most up-to-date research. By 2010 GEO BON hopes to have developed an initial approach to minimizing biodiversity loss. GEOSS’ implementation includes mitigating climate change through areas such as the expansion of biofuel plantings and payments to avoid deforestation. As data continues to be collected, this “System of Systems” will be able to assess changes in biodiversity more precisely, as well as determine which issues are most important and the most effective solutions.

Challenges

Developing a global effort of any type faces several challenges. One of the main challenges of the Biodiversity Observations Network is its cost. Estimates predict that the final costs of GEO BON could reach

In less than ten years, the giraffe population in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia has reduced from 27,000 to just 3,000.

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as unknown and untapped resources are vanishing, so are potential sources of valuable medicine and products.

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It has been estimated that only 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears exist in the world.

Other, larger issues concern how to link up research projects with similar interests but different locations, and how to integrate individual projects into the larger model. Similar projects could vastly benefit from shared techniques and hypotheses, but physical and cultural distance can prove to be profound barriers. Lastly, in order for GEO BON to reach its full potential, both government and non-government organizations will need to cooperate and share the full extent of their data, a requirement that is sure to be plagued by bureaucracy. GEO BON will also need public support if it is to succeed. Although individual efforts are important, large scale change will only result from effective policy, targeting entire regions and populations. Costs and benefits must be weighed against each other, efficiency must be evaluated, and distributions must be fair. Environments are changing everywhere, and though we may want to save our own valuable species and ecosystems first, efforts will have to be prioritized to the most at-risk locations. Large scale public awareness and support can only help to increase the forces available to combat specific local issues.

Local Research on Biodiversity

Here at Stanford the campus is vibrant with conservation efforts. Faculty from many departments are involved in research pertaining to biodiversity. Gretchen Daily, PhD, a professor in the Department of

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‘‘We have all the pieces, but we don’t have a good handle on how it all fits together’ - Harold Mooney Biological Sciences, is analyzing the impact of conservation on societal benefits. She has shown how economical conservation initiatives can be and encourages their incorporation into government policies and government. Carol L. Boggs, PhD, professor in the Program for Human Biology and a researcher in the Center for Conservational Biology, studies ecological evolution and how variation in the environment influences the effects of invasive species. The Earth Systems Program, an interdisciplinary environmental science area of study is also growing. Students in this program learn about Earth’s natural cycles and how humans interact with them while developing skills in developing solutions to key environmental problems. Armed with the information these and other researchers are collecting on diversity, soon we may be able to judge ways for each of us to help preserve biodiversity through little changes to our daily routines.

To Learn More

For more information, visit the website of the Group of Earth Observations at www.earthobservations.org

Credit: sxc.hu

Credit: sxc.hu

upwards of $300 million, and possibly as high as $700 million. However, the costs would be spread out over the nations and members and could be disbursed over several years.