Biodiversity is the whole of life on Earth - and every day it is diminished as human population growth and exploitation of land causes the extinction of animal and plant species. If the world does not act quickly and cooperatively, species numbering into the millions will be doomed. In the process, we lose opportunities in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and a host of other human endeavors.

This is the warning sounded by some of the world's most renowned environmental authorities in Biodiversity II. In words meaningful to lay readers and scientists alike, this book alerts us that we may soon be bereft of species that could help us fight disease and produce useful products - not to mention bringing us the wonder of natural life. Unlike other books on the topic, Biodiversity II tells us what can and must be done right now to preserve life on Earth.

The experts who lend their voices to Biodiversity II explain how scientists study biodiversity, what they have learned about the scope of life on the planet, and what urgent questions remain. These experts advocate the fusion of resources already at our command - government biological surveys, private agencies, museum collections, universities - into a more effective force to better understand and protect the wealth of the natural world.