article_snippet.sent: The diversity of life on Earth is increasing despite dire warnings that Earth is facing a mass extinction, a leading writer has claimed.
article_snippet.sent: This chart shows the increase in marine biodiversity from the fossil record and the five mass extinction events .
article_snippet.sent: Mr Brand, who campaigns for long term solutions to the world's problems rather than short term policy decisions, said that the rate of discovery of new species was currently outstripping the loss of species to extinction.
article_snippet.sent: Mr Brand points to recent research by the ecologist Mark Costello at the University of Auckland who found that the number of new species being recorded was now at around 18,000 a year.
article_snippet.sent: recent research by the ecologist Mark Costello at the University of Auckland who found that the number of new species being recorded was now at around 18,000 a year said that the current extinction rate of one per cent of species per decade was far lower than the discovery rate of three per cent per decade.
article_snippet.sent: Fossil records also indicate that biodiversity in the world has been increasing for the past 200 million years and is now at Fossil records highest level ever.
article_snippet.sent: There are more than 1.5 million known species in the world.
highlights_snippet.sent: Writer Stewart Brand argues that more new species are being discovered than are being lost .