Understanding Biodiversity Matters
The importance of understanding and conserving Australia's unique and incredibly high levels of biodiversity has been highlighted with the release of a strategic plan. The Australian Academy of Science and its New Zealand equivalent, the Royal Society Te Apārangi, have just launched:
This latest development further emphasises the importance of our local Atlas of Life project. In documenting and recording local biodiversity, we are all making an important contribution to knowledge of Australia's biodiversity.
The Australian Academy of Science states that a "sound understanding of biodiversity is critical, particularly as Australia seeks to achieve both environmental and economic sustainability in the face of rapid environmental change and an extinction crisis that threatens to change the face of the Earth." Click here to read the full press release
The scientific identification of new species matters, as this article in The Conversation so eloquently explains. And so does recording sightings of already-named species. The two activities are intimately linked.
The Atlas of Life, through its NatureMapr recording platform, enables us to support scientists to build a better understanding of life around us, "before it disappears" ... (view Sir David Attenborough's endorsement of the Discovering Biodiversity plan - YouTube video link)
