The WCMC Biodiversity Series presents the results of projects carried out by WCMC, often in partnership with IUCN, WWF, UNEP or other organisations. This series focuses on providing support to the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

1. Biodiversity Data Sourcebook
140 pages of tabular data with supporting text and graphics, on global biodiversity. Topics are covered in a concise way, using tables supported by minimal text and graphics. They include country species diversity, threatened species, national Red Data Books, major food crops, domestic livestock, marine resources, tropical forests, protected areas and systematics collections.
ISBN 1899628002 | UKŁ10 | Buy from the World Conservation Bookstore here | Full text available here

2. The Biodiversity Clearing House - Concept and Challenges
The Convention on Biological Diversity anticipates the establishment of a clearing house mechanism to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation in the field of conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. This paper was prepared by WCMC at the request of the Interim Secretariat, as an input to discussion on the form the clearing house for biodiversity information would take, and the manner in which it would operate. The research was supported by the UK Department of Trade and Industry.
ISBN 1899628010 | Out of print | Full text available here

3. Priorities for Conserving Global Species Richness and Endemism
Substantial amounts of detailed biodiversity data exist for the world, and these data can be used to guide conservation priorities. WCMC have compiled key data in order to identify areas of high species richness and endemism. This book is made available by kind permission of the UK Department for International Development for whom it was prepared.
ISBN 1899628020 | Out of print | Full text available here

4. The Diversity of the Seas: A Regional Approach
Marine waters cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface and open ocean waters comprise by far the most extensive major ecosystem on the planet, but its biodiversity remains poorly-known. WCMC in collaboration with UNEP's Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre, has produced a region-by-region account of select issues in marine biological diversity. Each account includes descriptive text on the oceanography, elements of biodiversity (including estimates of species richness and endemism), and a discussion of marine fisheries and their current status.
ISBN 1899628037 | UK£9 | Buy from the World Conservation Bookstore here | Full text available here

5. Assessing Biodiversity Status and Sustainability
If human use of biological resources and human impacts on biodiversity generally are to be made sustainable, it is necessary to confront a number of challenging issues. Among these are the meaning of sustainability, what kinds of data must be collected, and which scale of analysis is needed for different purposes. With the needs of developing country governments most in mind, this document - prepared for the UK Department for International Development - outlines some approaches to assessment of the status of national biodiversity and the sustainability of its use.
ISBN 1899628045 | Out of print | Full text available here

6. Biodiversity Conservation in the Tropics - Gaps in Habitat Protection and Funding Priorities
This study makes use of extensive spatial datasets, previously unavailable, to provide a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of biodiversity throughout the tropics. The extent to which potential habitats and closed moist forests are represented in protected areas is assessed. Priorities for conservation action are identified on the basis of a country's relative importance for a given habitat and the extent to which it is protected. National importance for biodiversity is also examined in relation to natural and foreign investments in protected areas.
ISBN 189962807X | Out of print | Partial text available here

7. Industrial Reliance on Biodiversity
While developed countries control most of the world's financial resources, it is the developing world that is home to most of its biological resources. This study provides an overview of the extent to which industry in the developed world relies on the biodiversity of the developing world. The first section of the report reviews the direct consumptive use, with fisheries and forestry the largest components. The remaining chapters examine two specific industrial inputs where biodiversity serves as an information source: the use of wild genetic resources in plant breeding and the use of substances derived from the wild in the pharmaceutical industry. The project was funded under the UK Government Darwin Initiative.
ISBN 1899628061 | UKŁ15 | Buy from the World Conservation Press here | Full text available here

8. Freshwater Biodiversity: A Preliminary Global Assessment
This document provides information on inland waters and their biodiversity, and includes the first global assessment of areas of special importance for freshwater biodiversity, based on expert opinion and data. It also includes a first comparative analysis of major river basins, using indicators of biodiversity, the condition of catchment basins and pressures on water resources, in order to generate indices of importance and risk.
ISBN 1899628126 | UKŁ15 | Buy from the World Conservation Bookstore here | Full text available here

9. The Global Trade in Coral
This study assesses the global trade in coral in an ecological and economic context. Throughout the report emphasis is placed on the trade in live coral for aquaria because the last decade has seen an enormous increase in this business. The taxonomic composition of the trade is identified and the quantities of coral passing between nations illustrate the links between major exporters and importers. Subsequent chapters present data on the practicalities of monitoring international trade in coral at the global scale. Size and growth rate data are used to assess the sustainability of the trade in live coral, and export and retail prices are used to estimate the revenue to exporting nations.
ISBN 1899628134 | Free (pay postage) | Distributed by Tropical Marine Centre, Solesbridge Lane, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, WD3 5SX, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1923 284151 Fax: +44 (0)1923 285840

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