Planning is now underway by DIVERSITAS, an International Program of Biodiversity Science, to launch a year of observations on the status of the Earth's biological diversity, entitled IBOY (International Biodiversity Observation Year). Below is a description of why a program of this nature is needed, and what could be accomplished by such a massive endeavor.
DIVERSITAS is an international program for the study of biodiversity, in all of its dimensions, including the study of origins and maintenance, inventorying and classification, assessment and monitoring, role in ecosystem functioning and conservation and restoration. This program was created in 1991 and is co-sponsored by six international scientific organizations: the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere program (IGBP). The basic idea of DIVERSITAS is to promote and integrate the various dimensions of research on biodiversity, from genes to landscapes, to ensure that all areas are receiving attention and to reduce duplication of effort. The results of this program provide syntheses and a platform for discussion for the scientific community as well as for managers and policy-makers as they move toward meeting the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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Getting out the message
The why for the program is rather simple. Globally, biological diversity is being lost at all levels of organisation, from genes to landscapes. This has been abundantly documented in the scientific literature. Biologists generally believe that these losses represent a threat to Earth System functioning and the well being of human societies. Yet, this message does not seem to be penetrating the general public's consciousness, much less into the policy-making and planning processes of many nations. In short, biologists as a whole have not yet made a compelling case for general concern and action about the losses of biodiversity that are being incurred and the consequences they have for society in general. DIVERSITAS/IBOY, if successful, could provide a new approach to accomplishing our unfinished business. It could also do more:
Pushing the frontiers of science: The IGY model
DIVERSITAS/IBOY could advance our understanding of the nature and functioning of biological diversity, in addition to helping better convey the importance of biodiversity to societal welfare. A model for such an approach is the International Geophysical Year, or IGY. This "year", which took place during the period of July 1957 to December 1958, brought together many of the geophysical sciences to derive a more synoptic view of geophysical phenomena of the Earth and its atmosphere. The project was made possible by the arrival of new research tools, including instruments mounted on rockets, and the determination to utilise them to understand better the physical characteristics of the Earth. Studies were made of the aurora, airglow, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, glaciology, gravity, ocean-floor soundings, the ionosphere, solar activity and most notably, the upper atmosphere (Chapman, 1959). The ocean soundings led to our understanding of plate tectonics and the upper atmospheric studies to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts. The IGY in a large sense ushered in space age research. Special attention was given to making measurements in relatively inaccessible regions of the Earth. Thus the project was a great unifying force for the relevant sciences, bringing together unprecedented co-operation among the world's scientists and even leading to a remarkable political gain: the Antarctic Treaty (Greenaway, 1996).
Some measurements initiated during the IGY were continued after the program ended and subsequently provided crucial data sets of the changing characteristics of the atmosphere. The most notable of these were the measurements of atmospheric ozone concentrations made at Halley Bay, Antarctica.
Thus, the hallmark of the IGY was innovative geophysical science that was globally and disciplinarily integrated. It also led to longer term research efforts building on the data gathered during the one intensive year. Furthermore, the program led to policy change.
DIVERSITAS/IBOY has the potential of playing the very same multiple roles for biodiversity science and could help establish the emerging global observation systems. These systems need care and input from the general scientific community since they are absolutely essential for tracking the successes and failures of our management policies. DIVERSITAS/IBOY could lead us to the frontiers of biodiversity --in the soils and in the sea, with targeted global studies. The establishment of a DIVERSITAS/IBOY international science network could bring together data sets and new observations for a comparative view of the world's diversity.
Forging the links among disparate elements to develop a new cohesive science --the IGBP model
The International Geosphere-Biosphere program (IGBP) was a product of the 25th anniversary celebration of the success of the IGY. The IGBP has already been enormously successful, but of a different nature than the IGY. Firstly, it was not designed with a time limit, but open-ended from its starting date in 1986. The main thrust of the IGBP has been to develop an understanding of the Earth as a system, bringing together information from biogeochemistry and the elements that drive climate. The philosophy of the IGBP is best expressed in the wiring diagram showing the interactions among the oceans, land and the atmosphere. The IGBP in a sense has concentrated on the linkages among the Earth System boxes, more than on the isolated disciplines. In doing so, a new scientific concept has been born - one that has a holistic view of the interactions and feedbacks between the physical and biological components of the Earth. Subsequently, and haltingly, the program started to incorporate social sciences into the effort.
There is an analogy with the aims of DIVERSITAS/IBOY and the goals of the IGBP. The best evidence that the IGBP was working on the cracks rather than the boxes was the fact that universities and funding agencies had traditionally been structured around the disciplines, so it was a challenge to mobilise a constituency to move the program forward in a multidisciplinary fashion. Ten years after the program's inauguration there are now many institutions and agendas that are following the IGBP organisational model. The study of biodiversity also calls for new coalitions among diverse disciplines in order to learn about how the diversity capital of the Earth originates and is maintained, how it contributes to ecosystem functioning and human services, and how we can preserve and protect it. Much of this work is in the realm of biology, however, important contributions are needed from social and physical scientists, including those from commerce and the legal professions. DIVERSITAS/IBOY could create the glue to put these disparate pieces together into a new powerful science.
Providing the basis for policy decisions--the IPCC scientific assessment model
In recent years, and in certain areas, the time between scientific discovery and the use of its results for policy decisions has become shorter and shorter as evidenced by the designing and operation of the Montreal Protocol on ozone and to a certain extent, the climate convention. During the past decade, a new mode of providing scientific advice to policy-makers has evolved, that of integrated assessments conducted by the world's leading scientists, at the request of the governments signatory to various international agreements. These documents, such as the scientific assessments produced for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have been powerful and persuasive instruments that have played a strong role in policy negotiations.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has had a very different history from that of the Climate Convention. For one, a scientific assessment of the status of biodiversity was not conducted prior to the signing of the Convention, but rather after the fact, and even then, not initiated by the adhering nations. Thus, the products of the assessment carried insufficient force to be used for action. Given that DIVERSITAS is playing a crucial role by attempting to offer scientific advice to the CBD advisory body, its IBOY initiative could help refocus governmental attention on important biodiversity issues. This would hopefully contribute to a renewed commitment to the Convention and a stronger coalition between the scientific community and policy-makers.
A very important objective of DIVERSITAS/IBOY is educating the public on the importance of biodiversity in their lives and on the nature and consequences of the threats that exist to the biotic diversity of the Earth. Biologists continually try to convey this message, but much more effort is needed. DIVERSITAS/IBOY could bring a concentrated, highly visible effort to educating the public. This could be done at many levels, from directly involving school children in the program, to more attention given by the media---from press, the web, to video. More of this will be discussed below.
Where does this initiative stand now?
The planning process has been launched and an initial DIVERSITAS/IBOY Scientific Steering Committee has been established. This committee consists of representatives of all of the subdisciplines within the DIVERSITAS framework. The proposal for the program has been presented at a number of large scientific meetings in order to generate input from the scientific community. This process is just beginning. National DIVERSITAS committees are being established, and will be able to provide more formal input to the planning process. These committees should be broadly constituted among disciplines but also among academics, policy-makers as well as those from the private sector. There is a long way to go to be ready for the tentative target date of 2001. However with the rapid communication now available, this date is not unfeasible, if the resources that are needed can be generated.
Already there have been a large number of interesting proposals suggested for the DIVERSITAS/IBOY. All of these will have to be screened through the national committees and the scientific steering committee. Some of them are presented here to indicate the kinds of projects that are being considered.
One of the attractive proposals for DIVERSITAS/IBOY is a revisit of some of the locations encountered on the pioneering voyages of the great naturalists of the last century, Charles Darwin, Sir Joseph Banks, Alexander von Humboldt and Alfred Wallace. These scientists provided a new expanded view of the rich diversity of the biota of the world. What the new visits would entail would be a comparison of what the original visitors saw with that existing today. It could be a powerful demonstration of the impact of human societies on our biotic richness placed in an iconic context. The passengers would include specialists on the regions and on the explorers as well as interested citizens.
In addition to the actual voyages, parallel virtual voyages are also anticipated in which students around the world could keep in contact and interact with the actual cruises. These activities could help involve the general public into this great venture.
New exploration
There are a number of proposals that are in the spirit of the IGY---exploration and synopsis. A few of these include exploring the biotic diversity of the oceans and examining global hot spots of diversity.
Caves and islands
Marine biodiversity in coastal zones is under particular stress in many regions of the world. Anchialine habitats, a new type of coastal zone habitat consisting of inland marine waters lacking a direct surface connection with the sea, are particularly important as refuges for ancient lineages of animals. Newly discovered families, orders and a class of crustaceans, for example, are still known only from anchialine caves on islands around the world.
Creatures of the deep
Only in fairly recent times has the incredible biotic diversity of the ocean vents been discovered. These studies have revealed an amazing array of organisms with unique ways of dealing with their highly specialised environment. There is a DIVERSITAS/IBOY proposal to amplify our search for new forms in the ocean depths. There is an expedition to survey deep benthic biodiversity along a North-South oceanic transect, proposed by the German marine biological community, which could form a marine focal point.
A global fish census
At the moment there is considerable discussion about the feasibility of carrying out a large-scale synthesis of the magnitude of the populations of various species of marine fishes utilising new technology. As we are depleting many marine fish species, we are also most likely having a large impact on marine ecosystems, yet we have no measure of these effects since our population data come primarily from the species of commercial interest. The fish census would be a major undertaking and could be an important contribution to DIVERSITAS/IBOY.
A census of the global centres of biological richness and of invasions
In recent years there has been an increasing sense of urgency for documenting the diversity of the Earth's biota since many areas of known richness are being lost through forest conversion. Rapid assessments of the biota of suspected centres of biological richness have been an important tool for inventorying our biotic heritage. DIVERSITAS/IBOY would bring a further impetus to this approach building on the Rapid Assessment program of Conservation International and extending it to assessments of critical centres of invasions, documenting where they are, and examining what makes these places so vulnerable to the disruptive impacts of invasive species. Furthermore, there is still a need to locate and highlight areas of endemism and centres of speciation.
The Earth's changing biota
The ecosystems of the world are being greatly impacted by the introduction of previously absent biological material. Biogeographic barriers that have separated the world's biota into separate realms have been destroyed by human commerce. Although all are aware of individual stories of biological invasions and their detrimental effects, we do not have a good sense of their quantitative global impacts. There is a proposal to mount a project that would attempt to quantify the status of the world's most important invasive species. An assessment is needed to understand the global dimensions of the events that are happening in many different places on the globe. Such an analysis could bring attention to the rapid changes that are occurring to our biotic capital and also help generate information for better control policies.
Observation networks
A very central part of biodiversity research is developing systems for quantifying the status of diversity through time. It is only through such observations that we can understand how both the environment and human endeavours alone, and in combination, are affecting the diversity patterns that we see at any given instant. DIVERSITAS/IBOY, with its unique "umbrella" approach, will ensure these observations will be done by collaborating with various international organisations.
Global Observing Systems
There is now a great effort, through the auspices of many collaborating international organisations (UNEP, ICSU, WMO, FAO, UNESCO) to develop global monitoring systems of our physical environment. The value of such measurements has been clearly shown for such parameters as the composition of the atmosphere. There is recognition that we need comparable measurements for some aspects of biological systems. There is a great need for indicators of fundamental changes in the environment and of the viability of ecosystem functioning. It is, however, very difficult to decide exactly what crucial biological features can be monitored most easily and economically. The international community, through DIVERSITAS/IBOY could help in this debate and in program development.
Marine Sites
A network could be established among the existing Marine Research Stations throughout the world. Flagship sites could be earmarked under the responsibility of these stations, either governmental or academic, which are sites of sustained biodiversity research using an number of standardised observations which allow for comparison.
Declining amphibian populations
A network has been developed to observe populations of amphibians in the hope of better understanding those factors, singly or in combination, that are driving the decline of certain species and how sensitive and non-sensitive ones differ in their characteristics. This network has gained considerable momentum and as a contributor to DIVERSITAS/IBOY can serve as a model for observations of other organisms.
Coral reefs
Similarly, the apparent sensitivity of coral reefs to the activities of humans, including overfishing, as well as to direct environmental change, particularly sea water change, make them an excellent system to observe the impact of global change, in all of its dimensions, on biotic systems. A pilot study, sponsored by the Total Foundation, will survey shallow and deep coral and fish communities at selected sites around islands in Venezuela, Indonesia, and Myanmar, using rapid ecological assessment techniques.
Biosphere Reserves
UNESCO maintains over 300 reserves around the world, in different states from natural to managed, representing virtually all of the ecosystems found on Earth. They offer a wonderful opportunity of providing a comparative snapshot of the characteristics of our biotic world as we are moving closer to a significantly changed climate and atmosphere. To date, no comparative analysis has been made of these systems. DIVERSITAS/IBOY could provide the momentum for establishing a comparison of a number of these Reserves as well as promoting their linkage with other global ecosystem networks.
Data synthesis and access
As noted above, the IGY took advantage of the beginnings of the space age. Similarly DIVERSITAS/IBOY can fully utilise, and stimulate, the growing capacities of the web to bring data bases together that will be available to all. There are already plans to use this event to further data base development.
Building a phylogenetic tree of life
One particularly attractive proposal is to build a phylogenetic tree of life utilising all of the genetic information that is becoming available along with the analytical tools for quantifying relationships among organisms.
Computerising ranges of distribution
The information age is also making it possible to collate and make readily available digital information on the distribution of organisms utilising museum collection data. A fully operational system for doing so has already been constructed for Mexico (CONABIO) and can serve as a model for building a more globally centred system. The use of this information is of vast importance in making decisions about land use and in documenting range changes due to human activities and climate change.
Diversity and functioning
In recent years there has been a new focus of research exploring the ecosystem functional consequences of the loss of biodiversity. These studies are still in their infancy. programs have been put forth to examine these relationships in a more global manner.
Global patterns of decomposition
The lack of understanding of the role of microbes in ecosystem functioning will be addressed by the establishment of a global network of decomposition experiments utilising standardised techniques and substrates.
Metabolism of diverse ecosystems
The emerging capacity to measure the metabolism of whole ecosystems is becoming apparent. These measurements are quite important since they reveal, among other things, the carbon gaining capacity of whole ecosystems, and thus knowledge of their sink strength in a CO2 enriched world. Further they can indicate, by comparison, how the richness of dominant species affects productive capacity of these systems. We now have the beginnings of measurement networks in the United States and in Europe. DIVERSITAS/IBOY could provide a mechanism to increase the network more globally.
DIVERSITAS/IBOY will also provide an opportunity to consolidate the various fields of biodiversity research into a more integrated whole by bringing the various subdisciplines involved the study of diversity at various levels into an operational program. The International Geosphere-Biosphere program has brought many of the natural sciences together in an operational manner for understanding atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial system interactions. A comparable integration of the many disciplines examining the nature, origins, maintenance and functioning of the Earth's biodiversity could be equally innovative.
Integrated assessment
This new synthesis will also provide the means to construct a more integrated assessment of what is happening to the biological diversity in the world, what these changes mean, and finally what the possibilities are for ameliorating, either the driving forces of change, or the consequences of the changes to biotic systems.
What is needed to be done: how to get from the present situation in 1998 to the expected results in the year 2001?
Put forth proposals
First and foremost, the biological community needs to put forth proposals for programs that are desirable for inclusion in the DIVERSITAS/IBOY effort. These proposals should be international in character but can be complemented by national and regional efforts. Importantly, they should be designed to deliver a product in the year or so duration of the program.
It is important that this program be an intensive effort that has a finite ending point so that all program components are interactive during the program period and a high momentum is maintained. In order to achieve this, most programs will have to build on the existing data bases. The projects should provide important and exciting dimensions for biodiversity research in order to stimulate the interest of the general public, funders and policy-makers.
Generate commitment
The success of IBOY will largely depend on the establishment and initiatives of DIVERSITAS national committees along with those of the international steering committee. DIVERSITAS is in the process of encouraging the establishment of national committees in as many countries as possible. National Committees have been established in Brazil, France, Norway, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru and Russia. The DIVERSITAS national committees will help generate, screen and support initiatives. Without these committees, and the direct interest of individual nations, the DIVERSITAS/IBOY effort will not have the commitment to make this program work. Interest must be generated, not only of the scientific community, but also of the general public, especially educators, and the business sector. All of these groups must be involved in order to obtain the high interest necessary to make this initiative move forward.
Think boldly
In designing DIVERSITAS/IBOY, one must think boldly. programs must be considered that will best advance our state of knowledge and that will also engage the greatest number of people in this crusade to bring attention to the Earth's biotic riches and their decline.
A number of international organisations have already endorsed this concept and will be contributing. These include the co-sponsors in the DIVERSITAS program (International Union of Biological Sciences, International Union of Microbiological Societies, International Council for Science, Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). These organisations provide entry to the world's scientific community. The challenge, as noted above, is to bring governments, educators, corporate sponsors and the general public into this singular, and crucial, event.
Whom to contact for more information
For more information on DIVERSITAS/IBOY, contact the IBOY secretariat.
Please send your ideas and suggestions to help make this initiative achieve the success it deserves.
Literature Cited
Chapman, S. 1959. IGY: Year of Discovery. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.
Greenaway, F. 1996. Science International. A History of the International Council of Scientific Unions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.