sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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Table II.4
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: KNOWN SPECIES
AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE WORLD’S KNOWN SPECIES
(Number and percentages)
Total number of known
species
Species in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Percentage of world’s
known species
Birds 9 990 4 110 41
Mammals 5 847 1 791 30
Amphibians 6 347 3 148 50
Reptiles 8 734 3 060 35
Fish 30 700 9 597 31
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Latin America and the Caribbean: Environment Outlook, Panama
City, <strong>20</strong>10.
The region has a high level of endemism: 50% of the plant life found in the Caribbean subregion
exists nowhere else in the world (UNEP, <strong>20</strong>10a). The Mesoamerican Reef is the largest barrier reef in the
Western Hemisphere. Although Central America accounts for only 0.5% of the world’s land mass, it
contains 10% of its biological diversity (Bayon, Lovink and Veening, <strong>20</strong>00).
Biodiversity is crucially important to the survival of communities and, in a number of sectors,
production relies on a variety of ecosystem services. For example, biodiversity-related tourism and wood
and non-wood forest products are important sources of income in some areas. Ecosystem regulating
services are also vital, especially in view of the increased frequency of climate change-related extreme
weather events. They protect lives and assets from weather-related natural hazards by acting as protective
barriers and buffers. In addition, they increase disaster resilience by strengthening subsistence livelihoods
and increasing the availability and quantity of goods and resources. In the Caribbean alone, healthy coral
reefs are estimated to provide between US$ 0.7 billion and US$ 2.2 billion worth of coastal protection
from erosion and the effects of extreme weather events (ISDR, <strong>20</strong>11).
Furthermore, the region’s immense array of natural resources makes for a unique laboratory for
products and processes that could foster medical, agricultural and other solutions for present and future
generations. The region also offers considerable potential for bioprospecting, 2 which should be properly
promoted and regulated. A concept that has recently gained prominence is sociobiodiversity, which
combines species diversity with the diverse knowledge of indigenous peoples and communities that rely
on biotic resources. Peru, for example, is home to 14 language families and at least 44 different ethnic
groups, 42 of which live in the Amazon region. The way in which the various cultures have adapted to
their environment over the centuries and the wisdom gained from their interaction with it have generated
a wealth of knowledge about the uses and properties of species, diversity of genetic resources and
techniques for managing them. The country has around 4,400 native plant species with known uses and
nutritional, medicinal, ornamental, seasoning, colouring, aromatic and other properties. Peru, as one of the
areas of the world to which the roots and <strong>development</strong> of agriculture can be traced, occupies an important
place in terms of agrobiodiversity. Of the four main global food crops (wheat, potatos, maize and rice),
Peru ranks first in potato diversity (85 wild species, 9 domesticated species and around 3,000 varieties)
and maize (36 varieties) and is also a major producer of cucurbitaceous plants, fruit trees, cassava, sweet
potatoes and other groups. Just one hectare of traditional potato field in the Titicaca Altiplano can contain
up to three species of potato and ten varieties (Brack, <strong>20</strong>00). This traditional knowledge about the
2
The systematic search for bioactive substances that can be used to develop new commercial products based on
biodiversity, such as medicines, nutrients and cosmetics (United Nations, <strong>20</strong>10).