Júlio César Bicca-Marques is only Brazilian specialist involved in publication
Bicca-Marques is internationally recognized for his important contributions in the area of biodiversity / Photo: Matheus Gomes
School of Health and Life Sciences professor and researcher, Dr. Júlio César Bicca-Marques, joined the international committee of experts that developed the publication Biodiversity at Risk: Today’s Choices Matter. He was invited by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the collective national scientific academy of the United States that fosters research and education in key areas.
Júlio César Bicca-Marques is internationally recognized for his important contributions in the area of biodiversity. He is affiliated to the Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity of PUCRS. He has also been teaching a course on Conservation Science since 2001.
He was invited to join the publication after his presentation Marmoset diversity, distribution, conservation and… as research models in the panel A future with marmosets: understanding the numbers at the 70th National Meeting of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science in Denver, Colorado, EUA, in Oct 2019.
“It has been such an honor to participate in this publication with colleagues from all continents. It has also been an excellent opportunity to discuss how to address the biodiversity crisis in a clear, direct and constructive way for the target audience”, he commented.
Bicca-Marques joined the panel of experts in 2020, as researchers were working on the theoretical foundations of the publication. He participated in many virtual meetings with other scientists and was one of the panelists responsible for promoting the book in an online event on Jan 27, 2022.
His contributions were decisive in defining the genre based on insights from conservation psychology and the contributions of main religions regarding the responsibility of citizens and societies as protectors of biodiversity.
He has been interested in working with animals and nature conservation since he was 10 years old. He likes to promote in people the admiration and respect he has for the different forms of life that share the Earth with humans.
“I hope lots of people get the chance to read it. Otherwise, I’m sure that it will help improve the protection of biodiversity and, consequently, the quality of life for each of the nearly 8 billion people in the world. Biodiversity is everything!”, Bicca-Marques adds.
The publication explains in an easy language accessible to the general public and decision-makers (politicians, entrepreneurs) what biodiversity is, why it is essential for the maintenance of life on Earth, why it is threatened and what people and societies can do to reverse the current situation. The idea is to highlight the need for a better form of interaction with all forms of life on the planet. The English version can be downloaded at no charge on the website of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
