What is the impact of humans on the
biosphere?
Within 50 years, 50-90% of the world's land area
may be impacted significantly by by human activities. This will most
likely result in a substantial increase in environmental
problems related to habitats, biodiversity, food production, fresh
water resources and health.
What is the GLOBIO methodology?
The GLOBIO (Global Methodology for Mapping Human Impacts on the Biosphere) consortium aims to develop a global model for exploring the impact of environmental change on biodiversity. It is designed to support UNEP's activities relating to environmental assessment and early warning. The advanced GLOBIO3 model will provide an analytical framework for bringing together biodiversity and environmental change data, thereby supporting the integration of the environmental assessments in which UNEP is involved. It will include land use, infrastructure, climate change, invasive species and pollution among other pressures.
The model will also inform the development of scenarios on the potential impacts of environmental change, enabling the implications of different conservation and development policy options to be explored. By estimating biodiversity impacts from human activities, overviews of past, present and potential future impacts can be derived.
Read more about the methodology.
The partners in the GLOBIO consortium are currently working on integrating the GLOBIO2 methodology in a greater framework for biodiversity scenarios: the Global Biodiversity Model (GBM)
Who is involved in the GLOBIO project?
GLOBIO is a partnership between a network of organizations and programmes, including the major global environmental assessment programmes. The project is coordinated through a global secretariat, consisting of UNEP's Division for Early Warning and Assessment (UNEP-DEWA), UNEP/GRID-Arendal, World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP). Contact the secretariat for more information.
GLOBIO's mission is to present a clear visual overview of the cumulative impacts of increasing resource demands on humankind and the environment, based on the best available scientific evidence, in support of the global environmental assessments.
Global Biodiversity Education for Children
The UN Environment Programme GLOBIO initiative (presented on this web-site) shares the name and acronym with a different (but related) organization: GLOBIO - Global Biodiversity Education for Children, please visit http://www.globio.org for more information.
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Environmental overviews
World
Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Europe and Central Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
North America
Polar Regions
West Asia
News and announcements
February 22, 2008
World ocean status - new UNEP report with GLOBIO input - The worst concentration of cumulative impacts of climate change with existing pressures of over-harvest, bottom trawling, invasive species , coastal development and pollution appear to be concentrated in 10-15 per cent of the oceans concurrent with today’s most important fishing grounds. The report In Dead Water, the work of UNEP scientists in collaboration with universities and institutes in Europe and the United States, was launched February 22nd 2008 during UNEP’s Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum taking place in Monaco. GLOBIO contributed with input to the report, including coastal analysis. Read more on the press releases page.
October 25, 2007
Planet's tougher problems persist, UN report warns - The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is UNEP’s flagship assessment process and report series. The fourth report in the series, GEO- provides an overview of the global and regional environmental, social and economic state-and-trends over the past two decades. It highlights the interlinkages, challenges and opportunities which the environment provides for developmen and human well-being. The report also presents an outlook, using four scenarios to explore plausible futures to the year 2050, as well as policy options to address present and emerging environmental issues. GLOBIO contributed to this report with a global analysis of the state and future of biodiversity
September 19, 2007
Biodiversity further deteriorates in the next 50 years - Biodiversity loss will remain unabatedly high up to 2050 - this is the conclusion from an investigation carried out by the GLOBIO consortium (work lead by MNP) in cooperation with partners. The report, Cross-roads of Life on Earth — Exploring means to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target, has been internationally reviewed and was launched on July 2nd in Paris, France (SBSSTA12) in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Technical Series. Read more on the MNP website.
June 11, 2007
Orangutans, logging and GLOBIO at CITES conference - UNEP urges timber importing nations and international community to back Indonesia’s efforts by boosting customs and border controls. The Last stand of the Orangutan report was presented at the triannual CITES conference (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in the Hague, Netherlands. Read more in the statement by the UN Environment Programme director Achim Steiner, or check out the full report.
February 6, 2007
Globalization and great apes: illegal logging destroying last strongholds of Orangutans in national parks - The tropical forests of South East Asia, important for local livelihoods and the last home of the orangutan are disappearing far faster than experts have previously supposed according to a new Rapid Response report from The UN Environment Programme. This report The Last Stand of the Orangutan - State of emergency: illegal logging,
fire and palm oil in Indonesia's national parks, was prepared in co-operation with GLOBIO and the Great Apes Survival Programme (GRASP), through UNEP/GRID-Arendal and UNEP-WCMC - the GLOBIO2 model results are presented in a Sumatra and Borneo map, for instance. Read the full press release at grida.no, View the maps at maps.grida.no, Download the full report or view the GLOBIO Asia page.
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