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168 8 The Forest for Its Trees biodiversity conservation requires that we understand the big picture of life on Earth, especially how our actions affect ecosystems , which contain all the living forms that make our existence possible. We, like all the creatures around us, are the products of evolution, born from nature, from generations spent among plants and animals. Our ancestors depended on nature for survival, and so do we, for everything from food to shelter to sustaining global economy. But there are so many more humans on Earth now that our demands on ecosystem services are outpacing their biological Penland beardtongue (Penstemon penlandii; left) and Osterhout milk-vetch (Astragalus osterhoutii), endangered species of Colorado. The Forest for Its Trees 169 productivity. Clean air and water, carbon storage, and the existence of species of medicinal and agricultural value are rapidly becoming privileges, exceptions to ordinary services. In separating ourselves from the environment with concrete sidewalks, paved roads, and steel buildings, we have created not only a physical division between us and nature but a psychological one as well. The separation transcends industrialized societies worldwide, travels up the chain from individuals to communities to national governments. The notion that nature is dispensable has been cultivated through a gradual process, beginning with inventions that made human lives more comfortable and expressing itself now in the form of consumerism. The public perception of nature has been especially confused by politics and political agendas often aimed not at protecting natural resources or using them sustainably, but at profiting from them, often by whatever means necessary. Working around misguided politics in biodiversity conservation is one of the challenges faced by the multiple organizations and institutes that have stepped up to lead conservation efforts. In finding ways to harness the natural value of places such as biodiversity hotspots, governing bodies have needed to sever themselves from traditional notions of nature’s economic value, embodied in the cutting down of trees and the building of dams or harvesting of medicinal plants until an ecosystem is destroyed beyond recovery. Rather, to reap the greatest benefits of the most biologically diverse regions of the world, it has become understood that these areas must be protected, through conservation and preservation. Some terrestrial and aquatic areas deemed vulnerable to species loss or considered of extraordinary value to humankind have been embraced in the protection of national parks and similar entities. In other instances, prior informed consent and benefits-sharing projects, whether for timber, foods, or medicines, have encouraged the sustainable use of resources. The ecosystem services of biodiverse lands are virtually impossible to measure in terms of gross domestic product. Instead, the well-being of Earth’s biodiversity, and its function and ability to deliver services, is better reflected in the state of species populations . The Living Planet Index (LPI), which tracks changes in biodiversity among different groups of vertebrate species over time, is one measure used to assess the health of habitats. According to the 170 out of nature LPI, from 1970 to 2005 there was a 30 percent drop in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species. Because animals depend on plants, the identification of plants and regions with large numbers of plants susceptible to loss is a major factor in conservation. Knowing which plants are threatened and which plant areas are home to threatened species of animals supports biodiversity conservation. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been an important player in initiating action toward plant conservation. The international treaty, implemented in 1993, binds its signatories to the conservation of biodiverse regions, allowing for the sustainable use of biologic and genetic resources. The treaty was fundamental in the movement toward benefits-sharing agreements. But similar to other international treaties that set guidelines on how resources are to be used and shared, the CBD has a relatively passive role in enforcing legally binding contracts. It serves instead as a framework for conservation that participating countries are obliged to incorporate into their own national legislation. But unlike conventions, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, CBD recognizes the fact that many developing countries cannot afford to financially support biodiversity conservation. CBD has its own financial portal, which it uses to communicate information about funding opportunities and cooperative projects, allowing less industrialized countries , such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Papua New Guinea, to participate in conservation. These places are home to some of the world’s most biologically productive habitats, and invoking various funding mechanisms...

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