Conserving tropical biological diversity

Supporting conservation of tropical biodiversity
Catalyzing efforts for conservation of ecological diversity in tropics

Description

Conserving tropical biological diversity involves implementing targeted actions to protect and restore habitats, prevent species extinction, and maintain ecosystem functions. Key strategies include establishing protected areas, enforcing anti-poaching laws, promoting sustainable land use, and supporting community-based conservation. These measures address threats such as deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and illegal wildlife trade, ensuring the survival of diverse species and the ecological services they provide, which are vital for local livelihoods and global environmental stability.

Context

Tropical forests and reefs cover less than 10% of the earth's surface, yet they contain over half of the world's species. The flora and fauna of these regions are the most poorly known on earth. There is an urgent need to conduct baseline biotic inventories, faunal and floral surveys, and systematic studies to document the existing biodiversity in these ecosystems and to provide information critical to managing conservation efforts. The primary goal must be to document tropical diversity and to derive hypotheses of systematic relationships, evolution, and biogeography among species of tropical plants and animals.