“Biodiversity is the totality of all inherited variation in the life forms of Earth, of which we are one species. We study and save it to our great benefit. We ignore and degrade it to our great peril.”
—E. O. Wilson, American biologist, naturalist, and writer
BIODIVERSITY AT RISK
Today’s Choices Matter
Committee on Developing a Booklet on Biodiversity for
the Public and Policy Makers
Board on Life Sciences
Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Board on Environmental Sciences and Toxicology
Institute for Laboratory Animal Research
Ocean Studies Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This activity was supported by the National Academy of Sciences’ Biology and Biotechnology Fund, the National Academy of Sciences’ Frank Press Fund for Dissemination and Outreach, and the National Academy of Sciences’ K.W. Kellogg Foundation Fund. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-27307-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-27307-2
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/26384
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022.
Biodiversity at Risk: Today’s Choices Matter. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26384.
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Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
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COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPING A BOOKLET ON BIODIVERSITY FOR THE PUBLIC AND POLICY MAKERS
Ann M. Bartuska (Chair), U.S. Department of Agriculture (retired)
Kamaljit S. Bawa, University of Massachusetts Boston and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
Lee Berger, University of Melbourne
Júlio César Bicca-Marques, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul
Suchana Chavanich, Chulalongkorn University
Sandra Díaz (NAS), Argentina National Scientific and Technical Research Council and Córdoba National University
Edson Gandiwa, Chinhoyi University of Technology
Virginia Gewin, Independent Journalist
Rosemary Gillespie, University of California, Berkeley
Jane Lubchenco (NAS),* Oregon State University
Yadvinder Malhi, University of Oxford
Nyawira Muthiga, Wildlife Conservation Society
Peter H. Raven (NAS),** Missouri Botanical Garden
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff
April Melvin, Senior Program Officer, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
Nancy Huddleston, Director, Communications/Media, Division on Earth and Life Studies
Fran Sharples, Advisor, Board on Life Sciences
Kossana Young, Communications Assistant, Division on Earth and Life Studies
Anne Frances Johnson, Contractor
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* Co-chair, resigned from the committee March 2021.
** Co-chair until February 2021, resigned from the committee August 2021.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions and recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Gene E. Robinson (NAS/NAM), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and James P. Collins, University of Arizona. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments received full consideration. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
The committee thanks Jane Lubchenco and Peter Raven for their contribution and leadership during the early stages of development.
“All people—living in ancient or modern times, in luxury or destitution, in mega-cities or vast hinterlands—depend intimately and utterly on nature. Through the microbiome inhabiting our body, the nature in local parks and farms, and exotic forests and underwater realms across the world, we are all deeply embedded within the web of life. This extremely subtle and extensive net of relationships sustains and fulfills us, providing the material basics of nutrition, health, and security to ethereal senses of attachment, beauty, and spirit.”*
—Gretchen C. Daily, biodiversity expert, Stanford University
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* From commentary in reference to Dasgupta, P. 2021. The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. London, UK: HM Treasury.