Biodiversity under threat

Biodiversity is important for the role it plays in its contributiion to the sustainable function of different ecosystems and for the goods and services essential for human survival. But never before has biodiversity been so threatened, particularly through pressures such as land use change, pollution, climate change and invasive species. The current European capability in biodiversity and ecosystem research is rich and varied, but it is also dispersed and disconnected and cannot easily be marshalled to deliver the information and knowledge required to address these issues at a European scale.

The 2010 target

In 2002, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity called for a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Europe has gone one step further: In 2003, 51 countries in the wider Europe adopted a target (the Kiev Resolution on Biodiversity) to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. They aim to achieve this through a set of policy actions identified in the European Biodiversity Strategy. However, these responses are seriously hampered by a lack of effective science on both the assessment of biodiversity status and change and its implications for sustainable use. More information about the 2010 target can be found here.

Towards lasting integration

In response to this problem, The European Commission established the ALTER-Net project through its Framework VI research programme. It is one of several Networks of Excellence established to achieve lasting integration of research capacity. ALTER-Net is addressing biodiversity research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. A related Network of Excellence, Marbef, is focussing on marine biodiversity.

ALTER-Net aims to help deliver on the 2010 target by promoting a better integrated and stronger European biodiversity research capacity. The result will be the establishment of a lasting infrastructure for integrated ecosystem research, combining ecological and socio-economic approaches, and with greater emphasis on communication with relevant audiences.

ALTER-Net is a partnership of 23 organisations from 17 European countries. The EC contributed to ALTER-Net during the first five years (April 2004 - March 2009), but after March 2009 the partner institutes contribute both financially and with own resources to help achieve the project's aims. ALTER-Net is currently scheduled to run until March 2012.