Neglect of the natural services provided by biodiversity is an economic catastrophe greater than the global economic crisis
This bright green 'flying frog' was newly discovered in the eastern Himalayas in 2007. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images
by Robert Bloomfield | guardian.co.uk | Monday 11 January 2010 07.00 GMT
Starting Monday, celebrations and events across the world will highlight the beginning of the UN’s Year of International Biodiversity and the loss of our richly varied flaura and fauna, which is estimated to be as high as 1,000 times the natural rate as a result of human activities.