Biodiversity and Conservation of the Marine Environment

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Abstract
Although the need to maintain biological diversity has received increasing attention from scientists and politicians in the last decade, little effort has been devoted to conserving the biological diversity of the oceans and seas, which cover 71% of the earth's surface. Marine systems provide food supplies, and, even more important in a greenhouse world, remove a large portion of the atmosphere's carbon dioxide. Overharvesting, introduction of alien species, toxic and nutrient pollution, coastal development, and increasing ultraviolet radiation threaten marine species. As the human population rises and marine species and ecosystems are subjected to stresses comparable to those on land, conservation of marine biological diversity is being hindered by inadequate understanding of its composition and functioning, its vulnerabilities, and the manner in which we approach marine resource management. This paper examines some basic characteristics of marine life, provides examples of three basic levels of...

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