Diversitas: a global initiative

By Richard McCarty
APA Executive Director for Science

Psychology is probably the last thing that pops into your head when you hear the term biodiversity. The same was true for me until recently when I attended a meeting at the National Academy of Sciences about an initiative called Diversitas.

At its essence, Diversitas is an international program that seeks to harness the talents of the scientific community to promote studies in the area of biodiversity. It was launched in 1991 as a program of the International Union of Biological Sciences and was adopted as its theme for the entire decade of the 1990s. A permanent Secretariat for the initiative was established in 1997, and an expanded operational plan was instituted in 1998. Biodiversity was defined broadly to encompass the diversity of all living things and includes multiple levels of analysis, from genes to populations, communities, ecosystems and through to landscapes.

Recently, psychological scientists in the United States have begun talking with their biology counterparts about getting involved with Diversitas through the International Union of Psychological Sciences. As a little background: U.S. psychological scientists have a voice in international science issues through their U.S. National Committee (USNC) of the International Union of Psychological Sciences. Members of the USNC for Psychology are appointed by the chair of the National Research Council based upon nominations received from various psychological science societies. The chair of the USNC for Psychology is Charlie Spielberger. Other scientific disciplines, such as biology have their own USNCs that are linked to discipline-specific International Unions. In turn, the various International Unions are members of and carry out coordinated activities, through the International Council of Science.

The big questions in biodiversity

Until recently, I had a difficult time understanding the nature and scope of Diversitas. After attending the National Academy of Sciences meeting on the topic, however, I understand a great deal more about the initiative and the great potential for psychological science to be a player in this international effort. I'd like to share some of that information with you in the hope that Diversitas will become better known within the psychological science community.

There are many compelling questions relating to species diversity. Consider this partial list: What species exist now? What species have been lost? Why are we losing species diversity? What are the long-term consequences of reducing biodiversity? How can we retain the level of species diversity that currently exists? How can we improve upon the current state of biodiversity? At the heart of many of these questions is the issue of how human activities affect global patterns of biodiversity. Indeed, there is strong scientific evidence that human activities are reducing our inventory of biodiversity at all levels. If this assault on biodiversity is to be halted, human behaviors must be changed. This is where I think psychological scientists have the potential to make important contributions to Diversitas.

Psychology and Diversitas

Humans are agents of, and are affected by patterns of, global environmental change and the loss of biodiversity. Research on human motivations, beliefs, choices and values could provide important insights for developing interventions to promote an enhanced appreciation for and value of biodiversity. As Diversitas is a global initiative, there must also be an appreciation for the values and beliefs of the local community. Cross-cultural, social and community psychologists would be especially critical for addressing some of these issues. A major component of Diversitas is educational. Here, too, psychologists have much to offer in developing educational programs to promote biodiversity that are culturally sensitive and appropriate for a given age group.

Biodiversity is an established marquee term in the popular media. However, is the concept so broad in scope that individuals fail to make the connection and identify themselves as having a link to the natural world? If this connection isn't made, there is little hope that individual behaviors that promote species diversity will be subject to change. This is a made-to-order project for those who study attitude formation and attributions.

Few of us will be in the privileged position to search for and describe species of microbes, plants or animals that were previously unknown to science. Everyone can't experience the wonders of the African savanna or the rainforest of the Amazon basin. However, psychological science has much to contribute to research on biodiversity, and I hope that the excellent work of the USNC for Psychology will serve as a catalyst for greater involvement by psychological scientists in this vital area of inquiry.



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