Aberystwyth University helps biodiversity conservation
Research carried out by Dr Mike Christie, an environmental economist working at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, has encouraged decision makers and opinion formers to increase their effort to conserve precious natural resources. Biodiversity is the scientific term used for the variety of life on Earth. It includes all forms of life from whales to bacteria and also includes the genetic variation and the complex ecosystems of which they are part. Biodiversity is under threat in many areas of the world, with developing countries being the main hotspots, and concern about global biodiversity loss has emerged as a prominent and widespread public issue. Dr Christie explains, “Some of the assessments I have recently undertaken are into the benefits of the rainforests in the Solomon Island and the coral reefs in the Caribbean. I was able to demonstrate the contribution biodiversity makes to people’s welfare and livelihoods whi...