The world will miss its 2010 target to slow biodiversity loss, finds
scientists at Cape Town Biodiversity Conference

TORONTO , Oct. 30 /CNW/ - The DIVERSITAS Open Science Conference - "Biodiversity and Society: Understanding Connections, Adapting to Change-" was held in Cape Town , South Africa , from the 13th to the 16th of October 2009 (http://www.diversitas-osc.org/). During this four-day conference, more than 600 scientists weighed-in on the biodiversity crisis and what it means for humanity.

Experts announced the world will miss its 2010 target to significantly slow biodiversity loss. "It's disappointing that we will miss these targets because extinction rates are accelerating to levels not seen since the last mass extinction," says Peter Kendall , Executive Director of Earth Rangers.

Freshwater species, like Canada's Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens and Australia's Murray Cod Maccullochella peelii, are more at risk than any other group of species due to the mismanagement of water resources and the growing demand for water. "The irreversible loss of life from freshwater, as well as marine and terrestrial environments, will significantly reduce the resilience of Earth's ecosystems that sustain humanity," says Kendall.

One of the most important developments at the symposium was the strengthening of the international science-policy interface - Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) - that will increase the rate at which scientific information on biodiversity is disseminated to international policy makers and will result in meaningful eco-actions.

Earth Rangers lends its full support to IPBES in communicating scientific findings to global leaders and applauds scientists, like Dr. Bob Scholes from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), who value local conservation efforts.

Earth Rangers has developed a series of programs to educate children about biodiversity issues in Canada and abroad. Eco-feats posted on Earth Rangers' website (http://www.earthrangers.com/ecofeats/) challenge and encourage kids to adopt more sustainable behaviours at school, at home and in their community.

About Earth Rangers:

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that empowers kids to improve the health of the planet. Building on kids' natural connection to wildlife, its live shows, children's website EarthRangers.com motivate hundreds of thousands of kids each year to make realistic lifestyle changes. Earth Rangers' mission is to inspire children to become the green leaders of the 21st century.

For further information: Julie Meehan, Instigator Communications, [phone], [email protected]