Editor-in-Chief:
Simon A Levin
Simon Levin, Princeton University, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Description
First used in 1980, "biodiversity" often describes the abundance, variety, and genetic constitution of native animals and plants, and
has been linked with politics and environmental technology. Although the 1986 National forum on biodiversity brought issues of biodiversity
to the fore, the inescapable need to know more about the diversity of life on Earth continues to remain unmet.
In recent years, biodiversity
has influenced important scientific considerations, international agreements, conventions, conservation initiatives, political debates,
and socio-economic implications. Knowledge derived from the study of biodiversity will affect the quality of life enjoyed in the future
by influencing decision-making processes and aiding new discoveries.
The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future.
Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of our loss and a determination to
develop the tools to protect our future. The
Encyclopedia of Biodiversity brings together, for the first time, a study
of the dimensions of diversity. It examination of the services biodiversity provides, and measures to protect it. Major themes of the
work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity,
and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity.
Audience:
University, research, and special libraries; non-profit groups working in biodiversity-related areas; industries with an interest in preserving
and utilizing natural resources, from timber and chemical corporations to insurance companies; fish and wildlife exploiters, protectors,
and regulators; zoos, zoological societies, and natural history museums.
