Empty oceans.

CONSERVATION of natural resources; BIODIVERSITY; ENVIRONMENTAL degradation; ENVIRONMENTAL protection; CZARNIAWSKA, Barbara; CLIMATIC changes; WATER pollution; UNIVERSITIES & colleges

The article reports on the results of a study published in "Science" which indicates that loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean's ability to produce food, resist diseases, filter pollutants and rebound from stresses such as overfishing and climate change. The study was based at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California in Santa Barbara. Co-author Kimberly A. Selkoe claims the detrimental effects of the stripping of marine ecosystems by humans will make the society suffer more the economic consequences such as unstable seafood markets, health problems and the like.