This book features proceedings of a seminar held in Ireland in 1998, six years after the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This was signed by over 150 nations and constituted a landmark in conservation biology. It focused attention on the maintenance of biodiversity and brought together biologists in Ireland to assess progress towards the conservation of biodiversity. The proceedings of this 1998 seminar are divided into four sections: The role of government in biodiversity action; Assessment of biodiversity; Monitoring change in biodiversity; and, The conservation of biodiversity.