Increasingly, we are realizing the finite capacity of our globe to absorb the consequences of our activities: ongoing degradation and loss of natural ecosystems and dependent species; overuse of resources; pollution of water, land and the atmosphere; and modifications in atmospheric composition leading to climate change with all its consequences. The universally agreed target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity by the year 2010 has provided cohesion to the efforts of Governments, non-governmental organizations, private sector partners, and civil society...