United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) would like to thank the following for their contributions to the GEO Year Book 2006.

Overview 2005: Global

Global Lead Authors: Chris Spence, Lynn Wagner and Elsa Tsioumani, International Institute for Sustainable Development/Earth Negotiations Bulletin, United States.

Contributors and Reviewers: Marcus Lee, UNEP, Kenya; Mark Schulman and Noelle Eckley Selin, International Institute for Sustainable Development/Earth Negotiations Bulletin, United States.

Overview 2005: Africa

Africa Lead Author: Clever Mafuta, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, Zimbabwe.

Contributors and Reviewers: Ahmed Abdel-Rehim, Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe, Egypt; Ronald Chawatama, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, Zimbabwe; Bora Masumbuko, Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa, Cote d'Ivoire; Patricia Munemo, Egline Tauya and Wilson Yule, Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, Zimbabwe.

Overview 2005: Asia and the Pacific

Lead Authors: Atul Bagai, UNEP, Thailand; Twinkle Chopra, UNEP/Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Peter Kouwenhoven, International Global Change Institute, New Zealand; and Jinhua Zhang, UNEP, Thailand.

Contributors and Reviewers: Mozaharul Alam, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, Bangladesh; Preety Bhandari, The Energy and Resources Institute, India; Rae Kwn Chung, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Neil Ericksen, International Global Change Institute, New Zealand; Masakazu Ichimura, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Toshiaki Ichinose, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan; Gen Inoue, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan; Kanayathu Koshy, University of the South Pacific, Fiji; Murari Lal, University of the South Pacific, Fiji; Wenlong Li, Peking University, China; Sansana Malaiarisoon, Thailand Environment Institute, Thailand; Sunil Malla, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Irina Mamieva, Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan; Zhang Mengheng, State Environmental Protection Administration, China; Akio Morishima, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan; Somrudee Nicro, Thailand Environment Institute, Thailand; Aneta S. Nikolova, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Shilpa Nischal, The Energy and Resources Institute, India; Akira Ogihara, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan; A. Atiq Rahman, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, Bangladesh; Hitomi Rankine, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Yue Ruisheng, State Environmental Protection Administration, China; Ram Manohar Shrestha, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Surendra Shrestha, UNEP, Thailand; Tunnie Srisakulchairak Sithimolada and Gulmira Tolibaeva, UNEP/Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; Shovna Upadhyay, UNEP, Thailand; and Huang Yi, State Environmental Protection Administration, China.

Overview 2005: Europe

Lead Author: Mirjam Schomaker, Consultant, France.

Contributors and Reviewers: Peter Bosch, European Environment Agency, Denmark; John Carstensen, UNEP, Switzerland; Nikolai Dronin, Moscow State University, Russia; Mark Ernste, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Sioux Falls/ Science Applications International Corporation, United States; Charlotte Islev, European Environment Agency, Denmark; Stephane Kluser, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Marcel Kok, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Netherlands; Ruben Mnatsakanian, Central European University, Hungary; Pascal Peduzzi, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Daniel Puig, UNEP, France; Diana Rizzolio, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Frits Schlingemann, UNEP, Switzerland; Jerome Simpson, The Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary; Rie Tsutsumi, UNEP, Switzerland; Ronan Uhel, European Environment Agency, Denmark; Ron Witt, UNEP, Switzerland; and Jaap van Woerden, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland.

Overview 2005: Latin America and the Caribbean

Lead Authors: Eduardo Gudynas, Centro Latino Americano de Ecología Social, Uruguay; and Kakuku Nagatani-Yoshida, UNEP, Mexico.

Contributors and Reviewers: João Câmara, Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis, Brazil; Edgar Gutiérrez Espeleta, Universidad de Costa Rica, Cost Rica; Rosario Gómez, Universidad del Pacífico, Peru; Bernadete Lange, UNEP, Brazil; Diego Martino, Centro Latino Americano de Ecología Social, Uruguay; Rosina Methol, Centro Latino Americano de Ecología Social, Uruguay; Marco Pinzon, UNEP, Mexico; Salvador Sánchez Colón, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Mexico; Ricardo Sanchez Sosa, UNEP, Mexico; and Alvaro Soutullo, Centro Latino Americano de Ecología Social, Uruguay.

Overview 2005: North America

Lead Author: Jane Barr, Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America, Canada.

Contributors and Reviewers: Erika Monnati, Ashbindu Singh and Katharina Umpfenbach, UNEP, United States.

Overview 2005: West Asia

Lead Author: Asma A. Abahussain and Anwar Sh. A. Khalil, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain.

Contributors and Reviewers: Hussain Abuhussain, Al-Aujan Company, Saudi Arabia; Rehan Ahmed, Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, Bahrain; Abdul Elah Al-Wadaee, UNEP, Bahrain; Waleed K. Al-Zubari, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain; A. Basel Al-Yousfi and Habib N. El-Habr, UNEP, Bahrain; Yousef Meslmani, Atomic Energy Commission, Syria; Nadir Mohammed, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain; and Samira A. S. Omar, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait.

Overview 2005: Polar

Lead Authors: Joan Eamer, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Arendal, Norway; and Michelle Rogan-Finnemore, Gateway Antarctica, Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Contributors and Reviewers: Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Arendal, Sweden; Luke Copland, University of Ottawa, Canada; John Crump and Lauren E. Haney, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Arendal, Norway; Alan D. Hemmings, Gateway Antarctica Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research, University of Canterbury, New Zealand; Katrine I. Johnsen, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Arendal, Norway; Glenn Juday, School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States; Christian Lambrechts, UNEP, Kenya; Christian Nelleman, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Arendal, Norway; Edward Osmond-Jones, Norway; and Christoph Zöckler, UNEP - World Conservation Monitoring Centre, United Kingdom.

Feature Focus: Energy and Air Pollution

Lead Authors: Beatriz Cárdenas, Instituto Nacional de Ecologia, Mexico; Luis A. Cifuentes, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Fatima Denton, UNEP - Risø Centre, Denmark; Hans Eerens, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Netherlands; Sara B. Feresu, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe; Ibrahim Abdel Gelil, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain; Yang Jintian, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, China; Sivan Kartha, Stockholm Environment Institute, United States; John Mac Callaway, UNEP - Risø Centre, Denmark; Susan Mc Dade, United Nations Development Programme, United States; Sunil Malla, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; Jem Porcaro, United Nations Development Programme, United States; Kamal Rijal, United Nations Development Programme, Thailand; Juan de Dios Rivera, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Anju Sharma, UNEP, Kenya; Ram Manohar Shrestha, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand; and Kirk R. Smith, University of California, United States.

Contributors and Reviewers: A. Basel Al-Yousfi, UNEP, Bahrain; Markus Amman, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria; Elizabeth Cecleski, Energia/International Network on Gender and Sustainable Development, Germany; Janusz Cofala, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria; Rutu Dave, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Netherlands; Volodymyr Demkine, UNEP, Kenya; Carlos Dora, World Health Organization, Switzerland; Marcel Kok, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Netherlands; Michal Krzyzanowski, World Health Organization - European Center for Environment and Health, Germany; Steve Lonergan, University of Victoria, Canada; Jyoti K. Parikh, Integrated Research and Action for Development, India; Daniel Puig, UNEP, France; Tinus Pulles, TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, The Netherlands; Mark Radka, UNEP, France; Eva Rehfuess, World Health Organization, Switzerland; Hans Martin Seip, Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, Norway; Surendra Shrestha and Subrato Sinha, UNEP, Thailand; Marc Sydnor, International Futures, United States; Njeri Wamukonya, UNEP, Kenya; and Jaap van Woerden, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland.

Emerging Challenges: Crop Production in a Changing Climate

Lead Authors: Carlos Clemente Cerri, Carlos Eduardo P. Cerri and Brigitte J. Feigl, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

Contributors and Reviewers: Nikos Alexandratos, Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy; John M. Antle, Montana State University, United States; Mateete Bekunda, Makerere University, Uganda; Martial Bernoux, L'Institut de recherche pour le dévelopment, France; Gerard Cunningham, UNEP, Kenya; David Duthie, UNEP, Switzerland; William E. Easterling III, Penn State Institutes of the Environment, United States; Peter Gregory, Scottish Crop Research Institute, United Kingdom; Marcus Lee, and Timo Maukonen, UNEP, Kenya; Freddy Nachtergaele, Food and Agriculture Organization, Italy, Karen O'Brien, University of Oslo, Norway; Osvaldo E. Sala, Brown University, United States; Nalini Sharma, UNEP, Kenya; Jean-Francois Soussana, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France; Anna Stabrawa and Isaac Tarakidzwa, UNEP, Kenya.

Emerging Challenges: Fish and Shellfish Farming in Marine Ecosystems

Lead Author: Robert J. Naiman, University of Washington, United States.

Contributors and Reviewers: Neville Ash, UNEP - World Conservation Monitoring Center, United Kingdom; Salif Diop, UNEP, Kenya; Ken Furuya, University of Tokyo, Japan; Wendy Lawton, Brown University, United States; Jerry Melillo, The Ecosystem Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, United States; Rosamond Naylor, Stanford University, United States; Victoria Sheppard, UNEP, Kenya; Doris Soto, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile; and Meryl Williams, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, United States.

GEO Indicators

Lead Author: Jaap van Woerden, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland.

Contributors and Reviewers: Sabrina Barker, UNEP - Global Environmental Monitoring System, Canada; Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International, United Kingdom; Andrea de Bono, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Volodymyr Demkine, UNEP, Kenya; Gregory Giuliani, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Richard Grainger, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy; Edgar Gutierrez-Espeleta, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Wilfried Haeberli, World Glacier Monitoring Service, Switzerland; Myriam Lynster, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France; Lars Gunnar Marklund, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy; Martha Mulumba, UNEP, Kenya; Stefan Schwarzer, UNEP Global Resource Information Database - Europe, Switzerland; Ron Witt, UNEP, Switzerland; and Michael Zemp, World Glacier Monitoring Service, Switzerland.