Global catalogue of ecosystems to help international conservation efforts
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-02 09:21:32|Editor: huaxia
A world-first catalogue of the globe's ecosystems was officially launched on Tuesday, aimed at boosting international conservation efforts by standardising classifications and mapping.
Developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), along with experts from Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW), the Global Typology of Ecosystems defines the key biophysical features of 108 major ecosystem types across land and sea.
As well as forests, deserts, caves, savannahs and even deep ocean trenches, the typology includes man-made ecosystems such as croplands and dams.
Lead author, Professor David Keith from UNSW's Centre for Ecosystem Science said that by grouping similar ecosystems according to their characteristics and functions, the typology could reveal patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
A more uniform understanding of the world's ecosystems will help in understanding those which are at greatest risk of collapse and help to create and track global conservation goals, according to IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle.
"It's critically important that the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework contains explicit, ambitious goals for the conservation of ecosystems alongside species," Oberle said.
As well as the typology publication, IUCN also launched an interactive website, allowing users to explore the diversity of the world's ecosystems for themselves.
"This work fills a knowledge gap that was hindering our ability to measure progress on the sustainable management of the world's ecosystems," said Angela Andrade, Chair of IUCN's Commission on Ecosystem Management.
"It's a very timely breakthrough, as the world is developing new global policy initiatives that will be critical for a sustainable future, including the post-2020 framework for the conservation of ecosystems and species under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity."
