Shaping our ocean policy with "ecosystem service" management

The world's oceans are in a worse state than previously suspected, according to a the latest report by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) in June 2011. Ocean life is “at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history”. In their conclusion, issues such as exploitative fishing, pollution and climate change are acting together at accelerated rate that have not been recognised before. This report is just published a few months after a major assessment on coral reefs that warned three quarters of the world's coral reefs are at risk and most reefs will be gone in 50 years' time if nothing is to be done. (Black, 2011) I am going to look at the state of marine biodiversity in an ecosystem service approach.

Why biodiversity loss? Is a "nature corridor" the way out?

Biodiversity refers to “the sum total of all of the plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms on Earth; their genetic and phenotypic variation; and the communities and ecosystems of which they are a part” (Dirzo & Raven, 2003) and is sometimes referred to as ‘species richness’. It is a concept of growing significance not only to ecologists but also to various governments. In essence, biodiversity reduces with extinction of species. Given the background extinction rates of 0.1-1.0 species per million species per year, for the last 300 years it is at least several hundred times the historical values. (Dirzo & Raven, 2003) From year 1500 to 2000 alone, 811 species have been recorded as extinct. I would like to discuss the relative importance of the major threats to global biodiversity.