Researchers warn: genetic diversity remains unconsidered.
In January, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a UN organisation, published the first draft of a global framework agreement for the protection of biological diversity after 2020. In an article now published in the international journal Science, scientists from several universities and research institutes around the world, including the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, warn that the targets and indicators proposed in this document neglect genetic diversity - the cornerstone of evolution and of all biological diversity.
Biodiversity on our planet is under threat and is declining, in some cases dramatically, due to intensive land use, pollution and climate change, both on land and in the oceans. However, a high level of biological diversity is essential for many ecosystem functions such as the production of biomass and thus also food for humans. This is why the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international alliance within the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is also addressing this issue. However, the draft for an international framework agreement for the protection of biological diversity now published by the CBD is criticized by many scientists, who have published their concerns in an open letter in the international journal Science.
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