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Article: Biodiversity since Rio: the future of the convention on biological diversity.
- Article from:
- Environment
- Article date:
- May 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Biodiversity is the diversity of species, genetic material, and ecosystems or, more generally, "the variability among living organisms."(1) Loss of biodiversity may pose the world's greatest ecological danger. Diversity is a foundation of natural ecosystems. Each distinct species is a unique evolutionary milepost that cannot be replaced once it is lost. By many measures, the pace of destruction is fast and rising, primarily as a consequence of habitat destruction. Concerned about these trends, various environmental organizations and governments sought negotiation of a global treaty to protect all forms of biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened ...