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Useful videos on these topics: - What is Biodiversity? - The Science of Biodiversity - Importance of Biodiversity - Losing Biodiversity - Saving Biodiversity - Promoting Biodiversity - Videos for and by Kids

"Use the A to Z to find out about different areas of biodiversity importance. These include internationally recognised protected areas such as World Heritage Sites and Ramsar Sites, as well as the many approaches used to prioritise areas for conservation effort and protection including Biodiversity hotspots and Key Biodiversity Areas. "

From the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, "inspirational thoughts from scientists, thinkers, and conservationists on what biodiversity means to them"

"Multimedia resources explain little known societal benefits of biodiversity, bust myths and describe new, high-tech approaches for measuring impacts of environmental change on biodiversity"

NPR Earth & Sky interviews with scientists about topics related to biodiversity

The Land Use Calculator is a tool for rapid scenario analysis of land-use implications, useful for decision-makers to address real-world challenges and for classroom teaching of conservation biology, sustainable development, environmental economics and global change biology. It is a decision-support tool targeted at land-use decision-makers in the tropic, allowing users to evaluate the implications and tradeoffs of pursuing alternative development scenarios by simultaneously accounting for the societal priorities of agricultural production, economic development, carbon conservation and biodiversity protection. Users specify a few environmental and socioeconomic parameters describing a landscape scenario, and the tool determines the implications of that scenario in terms of biodiversity, carbon stocks, greenhouse-gas emissions, financial returns of the land and employment opportunities.

The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation's mission is to mitigate critical threats to global biological and cultural diversity by: * advancing scientific research in diverse ecosystems; * strengthening the application of science to conservation practice and public policy; * developing professional, institutional, and community capacity; and * furthering the Museum's efforts to heighten public understanding and stewardship of biodiversity.

biodiversity, who cares

Nearly 20% of all people-more than a billion-now live within biodiversity hotspots, and their growth rate is faster than the human population at large. This article presents nine steps to reduce biodiversity loss, with a goal of relegating human-caused extinctions to the wrongs of the past.

"With soaring human populations and rapid climate change putting unprecedented pressure on species, conservationists must look to innovative strategies - from creating migratory corridors to preserving biodiversity hotspots - if we are to prevent countless animals and plants from heading to extinction."

This free downloadable report addresses the question of how can we expect to tackle poverty and climate change if we don't look after the natural wealth of animals, plants, microorganisms and ecosystems that make our planet inhabitable? The articles look at the scientific, social, economic and cultural case for keeping diversity, showing how biodiversity supports our health and physical security, food production, medical research, livelihoods, tourism, artistic expression and cultural life.

"The soils in tundra, grasslands, tropical forests are very different, but they have one thing in common; they all host an astounding diversity of life. Inhabiting these underground worlds are millions of species, which play vital roles in maintaining soil health and preserving the balance of their ecosystems. A new study shows that biodiversity underground is much greater than previously thought, with a direct relationship to life on the surface. "

Life on Earth faces a crisis of historical and planetary proportions. Unsustainable consumption in many northern countries and crushing poverty in the tropics are destroying wild nature. Biodiversity is besieged.

When officials gather for an international summit on biodiversity next month, they might look to remind the world why species matter to humans: for producing oxygen, finding new drugs, making agricultural crops more productive, and something far less tangible - a sense of wonder.

A 2.4 minute video that defines biodiversity, created by Vancouver Film School students

Plant and animal extinctions are detrimental to your health. That's the conclusion of a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Nature by scientists who studied the link between biodiversity and infectious diseases. Species loss in ecosystems such as forests and fields results in increases in pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, the researchers found.

HabitatNet is a global biodiversity monitoring project developed by NH science teacher, Dan Bisaccio. He and his students are actively involved with the Smithsonian Institution's Monitoring & Assessment Biodiversity Project. In January of 2005, HabitatNet/Souhegan High School with the Smithsonian Institution, Amigos de Sian Ka´an UNESCO Bio-Reserve and El Eden Ecological Reserve hosted the First International Earth Summit for Youth on Global Biodiversity. Students and teachers from the United States, France, India, Germany, Italy, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands and Mexico participated in the event.

A new study published in Nature reveals how biodiversity helps remove excess levels of nutrients that commonly degrade water quality in streams. As the # of species of algae in a stream increases, their greater their geographical distribution and water cleaning capacity.

"The most interesting finding from the study was that roads impact biodiversity independently of deforestation, via more cryptic forms of disturbance. These disturbances include reduction in habitat quality, increased risk of forest fires, and, perhaps most importantly, the facilitation of human access to undisturbed lands, increasing the potential for illegal logging, poaching, and colonization. "

Lecture 1: Learning from Past Extinctions Lecture 2: Humans, Biodiversity, and Habitat Loss Lecture 3: Rescuing Species Lecture 4: Extreme Life of the Sea Lecture 5: Ocean Species Respond to Climate Change Lecture 6: Dodging Extinction