iaru global challenges 2014 cornell tracking our decline
DESCRIPTION
There is growing attention to the global risks - not just local impacts - of present rates of biodiversity loss. It is worth keeping in mind that 'biodiversity loss' actually means the destruction (sometimes irreversible) – by us, people – of living organisms, Earth's 'genetic library', species, ecosystems and habitats. The fact that ecosystems are complex, adaptive, and locally specific means they can't be adequately represented in a single global measure. But without any overarching global perspective on losses, the locally contingent measures are 'untethered' to the real risks of systemic change. Scientists of many kinds are rising to the transdisciplinary challenge of dealing with this complexity in the face of global drivers of change (climate change, development pressures), recognizing that it is a challenge for everyone, not just academia.TRANSCRIPT
1
A PARTNER WITH
Tracking our own decline
Current biodiversity indicators do not
capture global ecosystem risks
Dr Sarah CornellCopenhagen, October 2014
Climate change & ocean acidification
Biodiversity loss
Perturbed biogeochemical cycles (N and P)
Systemic chemical pollution
Freshwater abstraction
Land use and land cover change
Atmospheric physics/chemistry (aerosols, stratospheric ozone)
A Safe Operating Space for Humanityresearch article in Ecology & Society, discussion article in NatureRockström and 27 co-authors (2009)
A Safe Operating Space for Humanityresearch article in Ecology & Society, discussion article in NatureRockström and 27 co-authors (2009)
Biodiversity loss
Extinction rate, extinctions per million species per year (E/MSY)
Rationale:Slow variable affecting ecosystem functioning at continental and ocean basin scales.Impact on many other boundaries — C storage, freshwater, N and P cycles, land systems.Massive loss of biodiversity unacceptable for ethical reasons.
Boundary:<10 E/MSY(10–100 E/MSY)
Current rate:>100 E/MSY
1. Incomplete knowledge on the role of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning across scales.
2. Thresholds likely at local and regional scales.
3. Boundary position highly uncertain.
Approaches to defining a planetary boundary for biodiversityGlobal Environmental Change (2014)Mace, Reyers, Alkemade, Biggs, Chapin, Cornell, Diaz, Jennings, Leadley, Mumby, Purvis, Scholes, Seddon, Solan, Steffen and Woodward
Why move away from extinction rate?
• Estimates focus on vertebrates – just 2% of described species
• It is a retrospective and unpredictable measure
• It is insensitive to community and population characteristics
• It is unclear how it relates to ecosystem (and Earth) functioning
So why a boundary at all?
Approaches to defining a planetary boundary for biodiversityGlobal Environmental Change (2014)Mace, Reyers, Alkemade, Biggs, Chapin, Cornell, Diaz, Jennings, Leadley, Mumby, Purvis, Scholes, Seddon, Solan, Steffen and Woodward
Why move away from extinction rate?
• Estimates focus on vertebrates – just 2% of described species
• It is a retrospective and unpredictable measure
• It is insensitive to community and population characteristics
• It is unclear how it relates to ecosystem (and Earth) functioning
CBD Aichi targets - almost entirely process-oriented,
not ‘absolute’ outcome (stop destroying living organisms!)
Knowledge, Values, Incentives, “Plans implemented”
Reduce rate of loss (rolling: 2010, 2020, SDGs 2030…), Sustainable harvesting/management, Minimize human pressure
Protected areas, species, genes
Safeguard essential services (carbon, genetic benefits), fairly and equitably
Plans with participation, respect for TLCK; Knowledge sharing, “Substantially” more funds
1-4
5-10
11-13
14-16
17-20
Genetic library uPSV (phylogenetic diversity)
Functional diversity Selected measures for selected functions
Biome integrityBiome-specific drivers
Boundary position should be set to assure:Long-term ‘innovation’ and resilience of ecosystem form and function.
Genetic library uPSV (phylogenetic diversity)
Functional diversity Selected measures for selected functions
Biome integrityBiome-specific drivers
Boundary position should be set to assure:Long-term ‘innovation’ and resilience of ecosystem form and function.
Ecosystem functions and processes linked to human wellbeing.
Genetic library uPSV (phylogenetic diversity)
Functional diversity Selected measures for selected functions
Biome integrityBiome-specific drivers
Boundary position should be set to assure:Long-term ‘innovation’ and resilience of ecosystem form and function.
Biome condition and extent –composite metric possible.
Ecosystem functions and processes linked to human wellbeing.
Genetic library uPSV (phylogenetic diversity)
Functional diversity Selected measures for selected functions
Biome integrityBiome-specific drivers
What large-scale systemic responses that could affect Earth’s suitability for our societies are mediated by the biosphere?
Boundary position should be set to assure:Long-term ‘innovation’ and resilience of ecosystem form and function.
Biome condition and extent –composite metric possible.
Ecosystem functions and processes linked to human wellbeing.
Genetic library uPSV (phylogenetic diversity)
Functional diversity Selected measures for selected functions
Biome integrityBiome-specific drivers
Data and information scarcity
+ need for local specificity
Society’s changing role in monitoring
and measuring sustainability…
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: Im
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ARR
Global information as a sustainability issue
• Meeting people’s needs, within environmental limits(Brundtland Report)
• Complex problems benefit from multiple knowledge inputs
The IPBES is developing a Multiple Evidence Base approach, in dialogue
with the CBD
Tengö et al. 2014, Connecting diverse knowledge systemsAmbio 43: 579 Cornell et al. 2013, Opening up knowledge systems… GEC 28: 60
Global information as a sustainability issue
• Meeting people’s needs, within environmental limits(Brundtland Report)
• Complex problems benefit from multiple knowledge inputs – a richer picture
• There is no substitute for meaningful engagement between information providers and users, with deepened dialogue and mutual learning.
Citizen science –new dialogues, a new ‘social contract’ for science?
Citizen science –new dialogues, a new ‘social contract’ for science?
Why not join… jellywatch.org, www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatchbbcTea Bag Index, www.decolab.org/tbiMappiness.org.ukwww.juegos.com/juego/climate-chaos
