The loss of New York''s natural heritage is caused, in part, by direct threats which include ill-planned development, land use and land management. Thus decision makers - from state and local government, private industry, and conservation organizations - must become better informed on how to incorporate biodiversity information into their activities and how to assess the potential effects of their decisions on biodiversity in the State. Without such biodiversity knowledge, decisions cannot effectively protect the State''s natural resources even where a decision maker desires to do so. And where such knowledge exists, to be effective, it must...
