This conference is timely. A group of experts will take a careful look at the effects of predicted climate change on diversity of organisms. There is scientific concensus that the Earth is warming because of the "greenhouse effect." While considerable effort has gone into projecting future climate change, relatively little attention has been devoted to assessing potential effects on wild plants and animals. Yet, initial studies have concluded that biological effects could be profound, including large shifts in species ranges, disruption of biological communities, and extinction of species. Conservation responses to this problem will need a firm scientific understanding of how wild species will respond to the warming and how these responses will interplay with continuing human encroachment. The World Wildlife Fund will convene the first major symposium to assess affects upon biodiversity. The conference will provide a scientific overview of current understanding, catalyze discussion and research, and educate both the scientific and policy communities. Climatologists will present a range of climatic scenarios upon which life scientists will base papers discussing possible physiological and ecological responses. The papers will be presented in plenary session and will be published by an academic press.
