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International Year of Biodiversity 2010: Celebrate the Diversity of Life

The United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to celebrate the countless variety of plants, animals and micro-organisms essential in supporting all life on Earth. This year, Project AWARE Foundation celebrates vast marine diversity responsible for supporting our health, wealth and lives.

Human activities including habitat destruction, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and many other pressures have accelerated loss of diversity. Extinction is a natural process. But today, scientists predict animals are going extinct at 100 to 1,000 times the typical rate. Many researchers claim that we are in the midst of mass extinction. Almost one third of reef building coral species and three quarters of pelagic sharks and ray species are threatened with extinction. 

Celebrate Our Water Planet

Project AWARE calls on global volunteers to celebrate and protect the ocean biodiversity. What can you do?

• Donate: Make a gift to advocate for threatened species and support teams of dive volunteers helping protect marine biodiversity worldwide.
• Clean Up: Volunteer for ongoing shoreline and underwater cleanups this year and collect data to help identify global marine debris issues.
• Monitor Coral Reefs: Volunteer for CoralWatch monitoring activities near you and contribute data for reef protection.
• Make Sustainable Choices: Download sustainable seafood guides and make consumer choices that can help protect the ocean's diversity.
• Create AWAREness: Celebrate marine biodiversity by joining the year-long, global art contest for children ages 3 - 12. Think about threatened marine species and get creative for their protection.

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