A report from Elsevier has revealed the current state of biodiversity research in the Netherlands. Professor Andrew Skidmore, from the ITC Faculty of the University of Twente is quoted in this report.
Facing biodiversity loss
Today, species are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate, and many of the reasons can be traced back to human activity. In the last 200 years, we have seen an increase in habitat loss, unsustainable resource use, the spread of invasive species, and pollution.
Along with climate change, biodiversity loss is one of the next big challenges that we are facing. If biodiversity continues to decline, the quality of human life will also suffer. Protecting biodiversity in politics, business, and society is to some degree informed by scientific research, which makes this activity fundamentally important.
How The Netherlands contributes
Fortunately, global biodiversity research is of high quality and steadily growing. The European contribution is leading the rest of the world and has strengthened over time. Based on the key findings in this report, biodiversity research from the Netherlands is highly regarded by the international community. The country is 8th in publication output within Europe, and its output has a significant global impact, characterized by strong international collaboration.
This report also highlights that the Netherlands is leading the way within Europe when it comes to academic-corporate collaboration in biodiversity research. The high level of citation of Dutch biodiversity research in global policy documents highlights the importance of the country’s research in shaping policies around the world.
More information
This report has been published by Elsevier to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity 2023 (May 22). Read the full report here
