Antarctica and the strategic plan for biodiversity

Steven L Chown, Cassandra M. Brooks, Aleks Terauds, Céline Le Bohec, Céline van Klaveren-Impagliazzo, Jason D. Whittington, Stuart H.M. Butchart, Bernard W T Coetzee, Ben Collen, Peter Convey, Kevin J Gaston, Neil Gilbert, Mike Gill, Robert Höft, Sam Johnston, Mahlon C. Kennicutt, Hannah J. Kriesell, Yvon Le Maho, Heather J. Lynch, Maria PalomaresRoser Puig-Marcó, Peter Stoett, Melodie A McGeoch

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54 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, adopted under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity, provides the basis for taking effective action to curb biodiversity loss across the planet by 2020—an urgent imperative. Yet, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, which encompass 10% of the planet’s surface, are excluded from assessments of progress against the Strategic Plan. The situation is a lost opportunity for biodiversity conservation globally. We provide such an assessment. Our evidence suggests, surprisingly, that for a region so remote and apparently pristine as the Antarctic, the biodiversity outlook is similar to that for the rest of the planet. Promisingly, however, much scope for remedial action exists.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2001656
Number of pages10
JournalPLoS Biology
Volume15
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Mar 2017

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