The 193 members of the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity are gathering in the central city of Nagoya, with experts warning the planet is now in the grip of its sixth mass extinction phase -- the first that is man-made.

The 12-day conference aims to throw a spotlight on a global environmental issue that has drawn less attention in recent years than the related problem of man-made climate change, blamed on a surge of greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists say worldwide human population pressures are wiping out ecosystems such as tropical forests and coral reefs, killing off animal and plant species that form the web of life which humanity depends on.

"Our prosperity and indeed our survival depend on healthy ecosystems," said Jim Leape, the chief of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). "The Earth’s forests, oceans and rivers are the very foundation of our society and economy.

"Even in purely economic terms, it is far, far more cost effective to conserve or restore healthy ecosystems than to artificially provide natural services that we currently take for granted."

AFP