India has some of the world’s most bio-diverse regions, accounting for c.10% of global floral and c.7% faunal species in addition to encompassing a wide range of biomes–desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, and island archipelago. It also hosts 4 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats,...
Italy is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in Europe, both in flora and fauna. Italy in particular recounts a very high number of endemic species; species that only live within the national borders. The North of the country as well as many areas in the centre and South are devoted to croplands, while...
Wildlife loss, the growth of monocultures, mechanized agricultural, and livestock “factory farming” is increasing the risk of pathogen spillover, disrupting life-sustaining ecosystem services, and contributing to GHG emissions. This post is an assessment of land cover change in the top greenhouse gas emitting countries, with an eye on how natural, wild areas support species diversity and at...
Protection of biodiversity in France dates back to 1960, when national parks were created, giving the first legal framework for protecting lands that were deemed of cultural and natural importance. Since then, France has acted for the preservation of biodiversity through developing national action plans (with the first ones for the conservation and restoration of...
The European Union accounts for 179 million hectares of forests which make up 44.6% of its land and approximately 5% of the world’s forests. Contrary to what is happening in many other places around the world, the EU has set a strategy for protecting and restoring the loss of forests, leading to a slow increase...
In 2020, China was to host the 15th UN Conference on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming, capital of the southern Yunnan Province. China is considered to be one of 17 global mega-biodiversity countries with 10% of all plant species and 14% of all animal species on earth. The conference was to be a milestone for...
Global diversity loss increasingly brings to our attention the disruption of life-sustaining ecosystems as species become more crowded together, creating conditions for new illnesses to spread. Urban development encroaching on species’ habitats, large-scale deforestation, habitat loss, agriculture intensity, food production, species and climate change can all drive biodiversity loss. Statistics Canada reports that, despite it’s...
In previous Climate Scorecard articles, we have hinted at how Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCC) are a pressing concern for Brazil’s commitment to emission reductions targets. That is because throughout history Brazil has been marked by the consistent removal of tropical forests, a human-induced impact credited as being a relevant source of carbon...
Australia is home to eight of the world’s fourteen different terrestrial habitats, with over one million unique species and thousands of distinct regional ecosystems. Around 20% of Australia’s landmass is protected under the National Reserve System (NRS): a framework introduced in 1992 to conserve Australia’s international status as a “region of mega-diversity”. Different regions provide...
