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WORLD ATLAS OF BIODIVERSITY:
Earth's Living Resources in the 21st Century
The first map based view of the world's living resources presents
latest research and findings in one accessible volume
From UNEP-WCMC the authors of the highly acclaimed World Atlas of
Coral Reefs
"A
thorough and up-to-the-minute account of the variety of life on Earth
and how fast it is shrinking. One cannot plan strategically to prevent
the loss of that variety without the information and maps that this
excellent and timely book provides."
Stuart Pimm, Columbia University
The World Atlas of Biodiversity, the first map-based view of
global biodiversity, is to be launched by the UNEP World Conservation
Monitoring Centre and the University of California Press, at the Chelsea
Physic Garden, London on 1st August 2002. It is the best current synthesis
of the latest research and analysis by UNEP-WCMC and the conservation
community worldwide - providing a comprehensive and accessible view
of key global issues in biodiversity.
New findings, which include maps showing global variation in family
level diversity of flowering plants, freshwater fishes and land vertebrates,
provide an indication of areas of special value.
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP, comments, ' The World
Atlas of Biodiversity addresses the remarkable growth in concern
at all levels for living things and the environment. It represents
an indispensable source of information on the state of the earth's
species and ecosystems.'
Co-author Brian Groombridge, Senior Programme Officer, Forest, Dryland
and Freshwater Programme of UNEP-WCMC, comments, 'At the time of the
Stockholm Conference in the early 70s there was awareness of the deteriorating
state of species and habitats, but biodiversity was widely regarded
as secondary to the needs of human development. Since then, as well
as a far more comprehensive view of human impacts on the natural environment,
we have also gained a deeper understanding of how human well-being
depends on the maintenance of healthy ecosystems'.
Opening with an outline of some fundamental aspects of material cycles
and energy flow in the biosphere, the book goes on to discuss the
expansion of biodiversity through geological time and the pattern
of its distribution over the surface of the Earth. The rise and expansion
of the human species, some key uses of biodiversity and the long history
of human environmental impacts are covered in detail. Separate chapters
describe the biodiversity of terrestrial, marine and inland water
ecosystems, and trends in condition and species status. It closes
with an outline of constructive responses that humankind has made,
aiming to maintain existing biodiversity and to visualise possible
future scenarios.
The authors Brian Groombridge and Martin D. Jenkins, Senior Advisor,
Species Conservation at UNEP-WCMC, have brought together and integrated
huge amounts of information that is scattered in both technical literature
and in governmental and NGO reports.
The result, according to Simon A. Levin, Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopedia
of Biodiversity, 'is an exciting piece of work, well-written,
well-researched, and authoritative.'
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ENDS ----------
NOTES FOR EDITORS FOLLOW
Images from the Atlas including the front cover and sample map are
available on request.
Media contact: Rachel Holdsworth, PR consultant UNEP-WCMC,
tel: 01954 202789, mobile: 07931 561956, e-mail: rachel@holdsworth-associates.co.uk
UNEP-WCMC: Will Rogowski, Head of Marketing, UNEP World Conservation
Monitoring Centre, Cambridge CB3 0DL, United Kingdom, tel: +44 (0)1223
277314 fax: +44 (0)1223 277136 email: info@unep-wcmc.org
website: http://www.unep-wcmc.org
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the biodiversity
information and assessment arm of the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Centre provides objective, science-based products and services
that include ecosystem assessments, support for implementation of
environmental agreements, regional and global biodiversity information,
research on threats and impacts, and development of indicators and
future scenarios for the living world.
QUOTES
'It is an amazingly diverse collection of data on global biological
diversity - very effectively analysed and displayed.' David J.
Chivers, Wildlife Research Group, University of Cambridge
'An indispensable resource on information about Earth's biological
variety and why its conservation is crucially important for human
survival and well being. This volume should be in the hands of biologists,
policymakers, educators, and the general public concerned with our
global environment.' Joel Cracraft, Curator-in-Charge, Department
of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History
NOTES FOR EDITORS
World Atlas of Biodiversity
ISBN: 0-520-23668-8
Publisher University of California Press.
8-1/2 x 11 inches (216mm x 280mm) - portrait
340 pages, including 6 Appendices
Full colour throughout
43 double page maps
68 diagrams and tables
32 colour photographs
$54.95/£37.95
Order directly from the University of California Press on: http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9941.html
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