The accelerating disappearance of Earth’s species of both
wild and domesticated plants and animals constitutes a fundamental threat to
the well-being and even the survival of humankind, warns the founding Chair of
a new global organization created to narrow the gulf between leading
international biodiversity scientists and national policy-makers.
In Norway to address an elite gathering of 450 international
officials with government responsibilities in the fields of biodiversity and
economic planning, Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Sri Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid offered his
first public remarks since being elected in January to head the new Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) -- an
independent body modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.