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The Challenge
Conservation biologists today face a threefold challenge: proving to the world the extinction rate is in fact increasing, calculating exactly how much it is increasing, and describing in detail what is threatening the diversity and abundance of Earth's species.So little is known about the biological riches possessed by many countries, particularly by those in the tropics, that scientists often lack the data needed to demonstrate the difference between species living today and those that flourished yesterday. Scientists often start with a biological inventory--an assessment of the plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates that call a threatened habitat home. Experts from Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) have conducted such surveys in Brazil, Belize, Guyana, Madagascar, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, and seven other countries.The result from each inventory is a kind of snapshot, detailing which species live where, and, more importantly, which species live in only one habitat and nowhere else. The data provides political and community leaders with defensible reasons for setting aside money or land for conservation--RAP scientists' recommendations have already helped to establish six protected areas in five countries.As conservation biologists discover and record the biological richness of the Earth, they are presented with another challenge: convincing political leaders and the local and global communities the importance of preserving biodiversity. Conservationists must challenge both these leaders and the public to take action to save the Earth's crucial and endangered ecosystems.Using sound science and strategic, coordinated conservation efforts, the challenge of saving the world's biodiversity is not insurmountable. And every individual can make a contribution toward preserving biodiversity. Explore the Saving Biodiversity section of this website to learn what you can do to make a difference.
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