"Biodiversity is Life"
This Special Edition of the Catalogue of Life has been published by arrangement
with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, in the International Year of
Biodiversity 2010.
We rely on the diversity of life to provide us with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials we simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities. Cataloguing and sharing information on the names, taxonomy and distribution of species is fundamental to achieving global biodiversity conservation. Work to complete the Catalogue of Life helps to underpin knowledge of biodiversity world-wide.
International Year of Biodiversity 2010
The Catalogue of Life programme celebrates the diversity of life on Earth. It aims to accumulate and synthesise knowledge about the entire diversity of life, and to create a uniform and validated index to all known species for use throughout society.
Global Taxonomy Initiative
The Catalogue of Life contributes towards "a widely accessible checklist of known species" prioritised by the Global Taxonomy Initiative of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
The Catalogue of Life contributes towards assembling "a widely accessible working list of known plant species" prioritised by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Target 1.