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Special thanks to:
Deborah Stipek, Dean, Stanford University Shu-Ling Chen, Assistant Dean, Stanford University Natalia Guillen, Stanford University Rodolfo Dirzo, Stanford University Pedro Hernández, Santa Clara University Calen Jones, Santa Clara University Sophie Zumout, Santa Clara University Carter Crum, VP of UBS Diana Carrillo, Presidencia de la República Josué González, Google for Work Ignacio de Loera, Google for Work Alejandro Villanueva, Fundación Televisa Dennis King, Executive Director, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley Servando Sandoval, President of the Board, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley Mimi Hernández, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley Alida Bray, President & CEO History San Jose Maria Schabbing, Epicentro Cindy Grisselle Gasca, ANUIES Jorge Alfonso Zendejas, Head of IT, Mexican Consulate
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Carlos Ponce
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turning
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A global partnership dedicated to making affordable internet access available to the two thirds of the world not yet connected
Internet.org 31
Internet.org 1.
Apps for the Entire World The Internet.org Innovation Lab, an Ericsson-Facebook collaboration, was designed to help developers understand how their apps will work in different parts of the world. The lab’s elaborate test environment mimics a variety of network conditions, giving developers a way to ensure their apps will run even in very remote areas.Learn more. Developers will be able to start using the lab, located at Facebook’s Menlo Park, California headquarters, beginning this summer.Contact the lab.
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Taking Connectivity to the Next Level The Connectivity Lab at Facebook is developing ways to make affordable internet access possible in communities around the world. The team is exploring a variety of technologies, including high-altitude long-endurance planes, satellites and lasers.
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Providing Access to Free Basic Services The Internet.org app provides free basic services in markets where internet access may be less affordable. It allows people to browse selected health, employment and local information websites without data charges. Initially launched to Airtel customers in Zambia, the app will continue to expand into other parts of the world.
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The planet's current biodiversity, the product of 3.5 billion years
Larger animals tend to have lower population growth rates and
of evolutionary trial and error, is the highest in the history of life. But it may be reaching a tipping point.
produce fewer offspring. They need larger habitat areas to maintain viable populations. Their size and meat mass make them easier and more attractive hunting targets for humans.
In a new review of scientific literature and analysis of data published in Science, an international team of scientists cautions
Although these species represent a relatively low percentage of
that the loss and decline of animals is contributing to what appears to be the early days of the
the animals at risk, their loss would have trickle-down effects that could shake the stability of other
planet's sixth mass biological extinction event.
species and, in some cases, even human health.
Since 1500, more than 320 terrestrial
For
vertebrates have become extinct. Populations of the remaining species
conducted in Kenya have isolated patches of land from megafauna such as
show a 25 percent average decline in abundance. The situation is similarly
zebras, giraffes and elephants, and observed how an ecosystem reacts to
dire for invertebrate animal life.
the removal of its largest species. Rather quickly, these areas become
And while previous extinctions have been driven by natural planetary
overwhelmed with rodents. Grass and shrubs increase and the rate of soil
transformations or catastrophic asteroid strikes, the current die-off can
compaction decreases. Seeds and shelter become more easily available,
be associated to human activity, a situation that the lead author Rodolfo Dirzo, a professor of
and the risk of predation drops.
biology at Stanford, designates an era of "Anthropocene defaunation."
instance,
previous
experiments
Consequently, the number of rodents doubles – and so does the abundance of the disease-carrying ectoparasites that they harbor.
Across vertebrates, 16 to 33 percent of all species are estimated to be globally threatened or endangered. Large animals –
"Where human density is high, you get high rates of defaunation,
described as megafauna and including elephants, rhinoceroses, polar bears and countless other species worldwide – face the
high incidence of rodents, and thus high levels of pathogens, which increases the risks of disease transmission," said Dirzo,
highest rate of decline, a trend that matches previous extinction events.
who is also a senior fellow at theStanford Woods Institute for the Environment. "Who would have thought that just defaunation would have all these dramatic consequences? But it can be a vicious circle."
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The scientists also detailed a troubling trend in invertebrate
of the ongoing mass extinction – and not just of large,
defaunation. Human population has doubled in the past 35 years; in the same period, the number of invertebrate animals – such as
charismatic species – and its associated consequences will help spur change.
beetles, butterflies, spiders and worms – has decreased by 45 percent.
"We tend to think about extinction as loss of a species from the
As with larger animals, the loss is driven primarily by loss of
face of Earth, and that's very important, but there's a loss of critical ecosystem functioning in which animals play a central
habitat and global climate disruption, and could have trickle-up effects in our everyday lives.
role that we need to pay attention to as well," Dirzo said. "Ironically, we have long considered that defaunation is a cryptic
For instance, insects pollinate roughly 75 percent of the world's
phenomenon, but I think we will end up with a situation that is non-cryptic because of the increasingly obvious consequences to
food crops, an estimated 10 percent of the economic value of the world's food supply. Insects also play a critical role in
the planet and to human wellbeing."
nutrient cycling and decomposing organic materials, which helps ensure ecosystem productivity. In the United States alone, the
The coauthors on the report include Hillary S. Young, University of California, Santa Barbara; Mauro Galetti, Universidade
value of pest control by native predators is estimated at $4.5 billion annually.
Estadual Paulista in Brazil; Gerardo Ceballos, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Nick J.B. Isaac, of the Natural
Dirzo said that the solutions are complicated. Immediately reducing rates of habitat change and overexploitation would help, but these approaches need to be tailored to individual regions and situations. He said he hopes that raising awareness
Environment Research Council Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in England; and Ben Collen, of University College London. For more Stanford experts on ecology and other topics, visit Stanford Experts.
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