Institute of Biodiversity Conservation

Investment in sustainable forest management has the potential to create 10 million new ‘green jobs’. This can help cushion the impact of the job losses the current downturn has seen. “The dual challenges of economic turmoil and climate change are bringing the management of forests to the forefront of global interest,” observes the ‘State of the World’s Forests 2009′ report brought out by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the occasion of the World Forest Week that ended on March 20.

The world’s leading crop scientists issued a stark warning that a deadly airborne fungus could devastate wheat harvests in poor countries and lead to famines and civil unrest over significant regions of central Asia and Africa.

Lack of natural enemies in North America to this beetle made the species widely spread. The beetles feed on the leaves and twigs of host trees. Feeding damage on young shoots causes the tree to wither and die in 3-5 years. thereby threatening 71 billion trees valued at 2 trillion US dollars. We have presented you a Poll on one of the greatest threats of Biodiversity in Ethiopia which is Prosopis juliflora. Have your say!

The major threat to the African Wild Ass is hunting for food and medicinal purposes; for example, body parts and soup made from bones are used for treating tuberculosis, constipation, rheumatism, backache, and boneache. Limited access to drinking water and forage (largely due to competition with livestock) is also a major constraint, with reproductive females and foals less than three-months old most at risk. Hence, it will continue to be important to determine critical water supplies and basic forage requirements, allowing management authorities to determine (in consultation with local pastoralists) how to conserve the African Wild Ass. The third major threat to the survival of the African Wild Ass is possible interbreeding with the domestic donkey.

The overall range of the Gelada is being eroded as a result of agricultural expansion due to the increasing human population densities on the central highlands. Deforestation and soil erosion are serious problems throughout the area. Grazing pressure is intense, and competition from domestic livestock has forced the Gelada to remain on the less productive gorge slopes in some areas.

Indian authorities have become concerned about the growing practice of foreign companies patenting medicinal plants and other components of traditional medicine systems. Five thousand patents for traditional medicines have been issued in global trademark offices, 2,000 of which belong to the Indian ayurveda, unani and siddha systems of medicine.