Reducing the rate of biodiversity loss and averting precipitous ecosystem changes are internationally shared goals. Through its funding to DIVERSITAS, USGCRP supports the international Group on Earth Observation’s Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) in building a global, scientifically robust framework for detecting biodiversity change, intended to fill gaps in existing data and create links between globally dispersed observing systems. To meet this goal, GEO BON is developing a set of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). EBVs are designed to detect changes in representative elements of Earth’s biodiversity, especially those most relevant to ecosystem services and societal needs, and can inform scenarios of biodiversity change under different management and policy scenarios. To learn more, visit: http://goo.gl/8UipOg

Biodiversity is a key indicator of the health of coastal and marine ecosystems and of the ability of those ecosystems to provide services on which society
depends. Recognizing the need to monitor this important metric, USGCRP agencies DOI, NASA, and NOAA released a Federal Funding Opportunity in 2013 to develop prototypes for a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (Marine BON) in U.S. coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and the Exclusive Economic Zone. To learn more, visit: http://go.usa.gov/NcjA