World Environment Day is this Saturday 5th June and to play your part maybe it’s time to find out a little more about our changing world and how to conserve the vital biodiversity of life that it supports. A new cross-journal thematic series presents a chance to brush up on your biodiversity knowledge.

To highlight the importance of biodiversity research and to celebrate 2010 as the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity, we recently launched a series on Open Access Biodiversity Research. The articles cover all aspects of biodiversity and environmental research, from the behavioural traits of sympatric fur seals influencing fine-scale species segregation, to the use of genetic tools to track evidence for hunting and smuggling of chimpanzees in Cameroon.

An editorial published today in BMC Ecology by BioMed Central’s Scientific Editor Hans Zauner, explains the need for biodiversity researchers to work together to increase knowledge and understanding of the complex web of life on earth, and how open access to research data is key to progress in working to conserve it. We have recently expanded the scope of BMC Ecology to emphasise the journal’s status as an ideal home for biodiversity research, offering immediate full open access to all articles and the opportunity to publish associated datasets as additional files.