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Biodiversity

Article - May 2012
Biodiversity should not be expected to earn its living in the market

On May 2nd 2012 a paper appeared in Nature entitled: A global synthesis reveals biodiversity
loss as a major driver of ecosystem change. It analyses existing data to show that biodiversity loss and extinctions are altering processes fundamental to ecosystem functioning and resilience, with major implications for us all. This is not a new message, but one that has constantly been ignored.

Article - March 2011
Finance, targets, green economy and innovative financial mechanisms

Discussions on funding, financial targets and innovative financial mechanisms were extremely difficult during the COP10 in Nagoya in October 2010 and clearly revealed the divide between North and South. They also reflect a wider struggle going on over the effectiveness and implications of market‐oriented approaches to the three Rio Conventions, including biodiversity
conservation. This struggle that is going to be central for "Rio+20", the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development where 'green economy' is one of the two main topics on the agenda.

Briefing - November 2010 - Spanish
The carbon market dream: millions of offsets from land-use “sinks”

Carbon traders and high emitting Parties would like all land-use to count as carbon sinks to offset sources, delay reducing emissions and make money for carbon markets. There is more than one route to this goal: REDD++ could be one way, and CDM in LULUCF is another, as we shall see. Parties could also be enabled to use every current and future market-based mechanism to meet their reduction commitments. This briefing provides background to these key issues for Cancun.

Report - April 2007
Agrofuels: Towards a Reality Check in Nine Key Areas

This document focuses on particular types of ‘biofuel’ which we prefer to call agrofuel because of the intensive, industrial way it is produced, generally as monocultures, often covering thousands of hectares, most often in the global South.

Consolidation, contamination and loss of diversity: The biotech dream takes hold

Chapter 4: The life science concept — Consolidation in the agrochemical industries — Consolidation in the seed industry — Loss of agricultural diversity: Seminis and Savia — GM contamination: plot or blunder?

Introduction

Ecosystems ...

Biodiversity is not just about numbers of varieties, but the web of interactions on which functioning ecosystems depend and about which we still know very little. It is an important - but not the only - part of the larger concept of ecosystems. On a planet under pressure from ecosystem modification and destruction, climate change and human expansion, biodiversity is ever more vital and ever more under threat. An increase demand for agricultural land to produce agrofuels or carbon sinks directly and indirectly increases the destruction of natural ecosystems. At the same time, agricultural biodiversity is getting lost worldwide through the introdcution of industrialized agricultural systems.

... and Rio conventions

The fate of biodiversity and ecosystems is not only decided out 'in the wild', but significantly in conference rooms. EcoNexus therefore works on issues by participating in the meetings of the CBD and the UNFCCC as well through the relationship between these two crucial conventions.

April 2011