Global water news March 2012

Abstract

Global news P reserving diverse plant life will be crucial to buffer the negative effects of climate change and desertification in the world’s drylands, according to a new landmark study. The findings of the multi-author study, published in the journal Science, are based on samples of ecosystems in every continent except Antarctica. They confirm for the first time that the more diverse an ecosystem is the more ecological functions it performs. It also has implications for carbon sequestration and soil health. “This is the most extensive study of the links between function and diversity ever undertaken, ” noted co-author Prof David Eldridge of the University of New South Wales’ School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences. According to the study, dryland ecosystems cover about 40% of the Earth’s land surface, support 40% of its people, and are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and desertification.

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