Biodiversity: basic commodity or luxury item?

Biodiversity: basic commodity or luxury item?

On November 4, 2010, the Research Center Leuven Sustainable Earth, the Department of Biology and the Faculty of Bio-science engineering, in collaboration with Metaforum Leuven, organised a one day symposium on the science and policy of biodiversity.

The crucial importance of biodiversity for a sustainable future is acknowledged at the international level by the UN International Year of Biodiversity. Some critical questions need to be answered. How much biodiversity is needed? How should society value the importance of biodiversity? Do strict scientific arguments suffice to enforce conservation of biodiversity? What about the ethical dimension of the biodiversity debate? How to increase support from society for biodiversity conservation?

These, as well as other pressing issues, have been addressed together with around 200 participants at the “Biodiversity: basic commodity or luxury item?” symposium in Leuven.

The morning session focussed on the science of biodiversity. Three renowned scientists presented their views on the importance of biodiversity for ecosystems and for agriculture, and about the challenges linked to the valuation of biodiversity:

• Prof. Michel Loreau - The Ecological Consequences of Biodiversity Loss
• Prof. Nick Hanley - Putting an Economic Value on Changes in Biodiversity: Why is it so difficult?
• Dr. Mauricio Bellon - A General Introduction to the Maintenance of Crop Evolution in Farmers’ Fields in Centers of Crop Diversity

• Presentation of position paper (in Dutch)
• Position paper - Dutch version
• Position paper - English Summary

• Instituut voor Natuur en Bos Onderzoek (Jurgen Tack)
• Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (Jan Mees)
• Agentschap voor Natuur & Bos (Jeroen Nachtergaele)
• Natuurpunt (Jos Gysels)
• Boerenbond, Summary text (Piet Vanthemsche)
• Bioforum (Johan Devreese)