It is defined in terms of genes, species, and ecosystems which are the outcome of over 3,000 million years of evolution. The human species depends on biological diversity for its own survival. The Earth's biological resources are vital to humanity's economic and social development. As a result, there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations. At the same time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never been so great as it is today.
Species extinction caused by human activities continues at an alarming rate.
Desertification UN Convention to Combat Desertification Land degradation is continuing and increasing at an alarming pace, seriously eroding the world's precious store of productive land. This process happens piecemeal as different areas of degraded land spread and merge together, rather than through advancing desert.