Submission by Dr Alan Feest

University of Bristol and

Ecosulis ltd.

The requirement for “no net loss” implies that biodiversity can be measured but currently there is no definition of biodiversity that allows this to be achieved.  The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) definition used by most researchers does not define “variability” and therefore does not allow measurement.  I therefore have:

1. Added a clarification for “variability” based on the measurement of a range of functional characteristics. This I have called “Biodiversity Quality” as a clarification of the term biodiversity.

2.Devised a simple sampling methodology that can be applied to most organisms ranging from macrofungi to bryophytes to moths to birds.

3. Devised a computer programme that presents the survey data in such a way that the species accumulation curve can be seen plus it also presents a range of functional characteristic measurements thus allowing biodiversity.

Using these advances I have shown that the biodiversity of sites can be compared over time or between sites. There are publications of these methods for Macrofungi, Beetles and Butterflies with subjects such as tropical dragonflies, tropical Ichneumonids and birds the subjects of submitted or to be submitted papers.