RSS news31.08.2015
Nature commentary: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space
EU BON
A new commentary "Environmental science: Agree on biodiversity metrics to track from space" published in Nature looks at why conservation and space agencies should agree on a definitive set of biodiversity variables and ways in which these will be tracked from space, to address conservation targets. The paper is a result of two Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) workshops which took place earlier this year.
Global biodiversity loss is intensifying. But it is hard to assess progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets for 2011–20 set by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Target 5, for instance, aims to halve global deforestation rates by 2020; but reliable indicators for deforestation that can be monitored remotely have not been developed or agreed on. National biodiversity monitoring programmes differ widely, most data sets are inconsistent, and few data are shared openly.
Read more on the topic in the original commentary article.
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