Biodiversity and ecosystem services science for a sustainable planet: the DIVERSITAS vision for 2012–20

DIVERSITAS, the international programme on biodiversity science, is releasing a strategic vision presenting scientific challenges for the next decade of research on biodiversity and ecosystem services: “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Science for a Sustainable Planet”. This new vision is a response of the biodiversity and ecosystem services scientific community to the accelerating loss of the components of biodiversity, as well as to changes in the biodiversity science-policy landscape (establishment of a Biodiversity Observing Network — GEO BON, of an Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services — IPBES, of the new Future Earth initiative; and release of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020). This article presents the vision and its core scientific challenges.Fil: Larigauderie, Anne. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; FranciaFil: Prieur Richard, Anne Helene. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; FranciaFil: Mace, Georgina. Imperial College London. Center for Population Biology; Reino UnidoFil: Londsdale, Mark. CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences; AustraliaFil: Mooney, Harold A.. Stanford University. Department of Biological Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Brussaard, Lijbert. Wageningen University, Soil Quality Department; Países BajosFil: Cooper, David. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; CanadáFil: Wolfgang, Cramer. Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale; FranciaFil: Daszak, Peter. EcoHealth Alliance. Wildlife Trust; Estados UnidosFil: Diaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Duraiappah, Anantha. International Human Dimensions Programme; AlemaniaFil: Elmqvist, Thomas. University of Stockholm. Department of Systems Ecology and Stockholm Resilience Center; SueciaFil: Faith, Daniel. The Australian Museum; AustraliaFil: Jackson, Louise. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Krug, Cornelia. DIVERSITAS. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; FranciaFil: Leadley, Paul. Université Paris. Laboratoire Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Ecologie des Populations et Communautés; FranciaFil: Le Prestre, Philippe. Laval University; CanadáFil: Matsuda, Hiroyuki. Yokohama National University; JapónFil: Palmer, Margaret. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Perrings, Charles. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Pulleman, Mirjam. Wageningen University; Países BajosFil: Reyers, Belinda. Natural Resources and Environment; SudáfricaFil: Rosa, Eugene A.. Washington State University; Estados UnidosFil: Scholes, Robert J.. Natural Resources and Environment; SudáfricaFil: Spehn, Eva. Universidad de Basilea; SuizaFil: Turner II, B. L.. Arizona State University; Estados UnidosFil: Yahara, Tetsukazu. Kyushu University; Japó

Challenges for freshwater biodiversity research: science plan and implementation strategy

The environmental vitality of freshwater ecosystems and their inherent biodiversity are at the heart of social and economic sustainability. Fresh water is essential for nearly any form of human activity, including industrial production, navigation, domestic water requirements, waste assimilation, health, and food production. Moreover, the roles of biodiversity in freshwater processes (e.g., self-purification, protein production) are of crucial importance for sustaining goods and services underpinning the vitality of human populations. Globally, freshwater biodiversity is under critical threat because there are, in addition to environmental needs, expanding human demands for water. However, economic expansion and environmental integrity do not need to be mutually exclusive as long as the environmental requirements for water are thoughtfully and effectively incorporated into economic development. The critical importance of fresh water is now widely recognized. In December 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 58/217 proclaiming 2005 to 2015 as an International Decade for Action – ‘Water for Life’. The resolution calls for a greater focus on water issues and development efforts, and recommits countries to achieving the water-related goals of the 2000 Millennium Declaration and of Agenda 21; in particular, to halve by 2015 the proportion of people lacking access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. These are highly important matters, yet their importance should not obscure the fact that the ‘Water for Life’ resolution comes at a time when biodiversity and the biological resources of inland waters are facing unprecedented and growing threats from human activities. Fresh water makes up only ~0.01% of the world’s water and ~0.8% of the Earth’s surface. Yet over 10,000 fish species live in fresh water, making up 40% of global fish diversity and one quarter of global vertebrate diversity. When amphibians, aquatic reptiles and mammals are added, around one third of vertebrate species are confined to fresh water. This disproportionate richness is also evident from the fact that approximately 100,000 species out of ~1.3 million thus far described by scientists (~8%) live in fresh water. Conservation of freshwater biodiversity represents thus a great challenge to scientists, local managers and policy makers. Management of freshwater biodiversity has to take into account trade offs between biodiversity protection and sustainable use. A first requisite in developing an effective conservation strategy, given the current impediment of insufficient data, is to improve the geographic and taxonomic knowledge of freshwater biodiversity. A second requisite is to better understand linkages between freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and the numerous valuable goods and services supported by freshwater biodiversity. A final requisite is to develop a network of freshwater users (e.g., local populations, managers of water resources, scientists and political institutions) because effective conservation actions and conflict resolutions require a close collaboration between the different users of fresh water. The international programme of biodiversity science, DIVERSITAS, has identified a science agenda for conservation and sustainable use of freshwater biodiversity to inspire and facilitate a new generation of research on this topic. This science agenda recognises the importance of freshwater biodiversity as a basic support for all life on Earth and for the provision of valuable human-related goods and services. The intention of DIVERSITAS is to advance knowledge on topics of international concern that are not receiving sufficient attention or are newly emerging issues with potential consequences for ecosystems and for humanity. This document, the science plan and implementation strategy of a new DIVERSITAS cross-cutting theme called “freshwaterBIODIVERSITY” is the result of numerous meetings, consultations and discussions over the past two years involving scientists of diverse backgrounds, disciplines and countries. This document is by no means an end in itself, but is meant to evolve as new knowledge is generated. We hope that it will involve more and more scientists working on freshwater biodiversity issues and that it will contribute, in the context of the post Millennium Ecosystem Assessment era, to a new generation of scientific work and to an expanded perspective on the overwhelming importance of freshwater biodiversity

The association between macrovascular complications and intensive care admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and mortality in people with diabetes hospitalized for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)

International audienceAbstract Background It is not clear whether pre-existing macrovascular complications (ischemic heart disease, stroke or peripheral artery disease) are associated with health outcomes in people with diabetes mellitus hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods We conducted cohort studies of adults with pre-existing diabetes hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in the UK, France, and Spain during the early phase of the pandemic (between March 2020—October 2020). Logistic regression models adjusted for demographic factors and other comorbidities were used to determine associations between previous macrovascular disease and relevant clinical outcomes: mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during the hospitalization. Output from individual logistic regression models for each cohort was combined in a meta-analysis. Results Complete data were available for 4,106 (60.4%) individuals. Of these, 1,652 (40.2%) had any prior macrovascular disease of whom 28.5% of patients died. Mortality was higher for people with compared to those without previous macrovascular disease (37.7% vs 22.4%). The combined crude odds ratio (OR) for previous macrovascular disease and mortality for all four cohorts was 2.12 (95% CI 1.83–2.45 with an I 2 of 60%, reduced after adjustments for age, sex, type of diabetes, hypertension, microvascular disease, ethnicity, and BMI to adjusted OR 1.53 [95% CI 1.29–1.81]) for the three cohorts. Further analysis revealed that ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were the main contributors of adverse outcomes. However, proportions of people admitted to ICU (adjOR 0.48 [95% CI 0.31–0.75], I 2 60%) and the use of IMV during hospitalization (adjOR 0.52 [95% CI 0.40–0.68], I 2 37%) were significantly lower for people with previous macrovascular disease. Conclusions This large multinational study of people with diabetes mellitus hospitalized for COVID-19 demonstrates that previous macrovascular disease is associated with higher mortality and lower proportions admitted to ICU and treated with IMV during hospitalization suggesting selective admission criteria. Our findings highlight the importance correctly assess the prognosis and intensive monitoring in this high-risk group of patients and emphasize the need to design specific public health programs aimed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in this subgroup