Samreek Bhatta, Delhi Public School Megacity, Kolkata
What is Biological Diversity?
Biological diversity (commonly called biodiversity) is often understood to be a wide array of flora, fauna, and microorganisms, but it also includes genetic differences within species — for instance, variations among varieties of crops, different breeds of livestock, the variety of ecosystems, etc. It is noticed that despite all our technological advancements, we are still dependent on nature for various necessities such as food, shelter, water, clothes, fuel, etc. So, it can be said that biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations. Fish provide around 20% of animal protein to ~3 billion people all over the globe. Approximately 80% of the human diet is fulfilled by plant sources. As much as 80% of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant‐based medicines for basic healthcare. Thus, the loss of biodiversity poses a threat to all forms of life. It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses (zoonotic diseases) – diseases transmitted from animals to humans- while, on the other hand, if we keep biodiversity intact, it offers excellent tools to fight against pandemics like those caused by the Covid-19.
History of The International Day for Biological Diversity
Every year on 22nd May, the United Nations celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29th December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated as The International Day for Biological Diversity (abbreviated as IDB). However, in the month of December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22nd May as the International Day for Biological Diversity. This was done to commemorate the implementation of the text of the Convention on 22nd May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference. One of the primary reasons for changing the date was that several holidays fall in the late December period, so the organization of events for this cause (celebration of IDB) could become a problematic situation in many countries.
This year’s theme and objective of IDB
For 2021, the theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity is “We’re part of the solution”. The slogan was chosen to be a continuation of the impetus generated the previous year under the theme of, “Our solutions are in nature”, which tries to tell us the underlying potential of biological diversity to solve many of the sustainable development challenges. From nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the strong foundation that we need to make our civilization and our world better.
Role of The United Nations in celebrating the event
The United Nations plans to organize quite a few events throughout this year to celebrate The International Day for Biological Diversity. The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15, October 2021) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will evaluate the achievements of CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. This new agenda has included a focus to ensure activities in preserving biological diversity and will contribute to “the nutrition, food, security, and livelihoods of people, especially for the most vulnerable.” Further, the efforts for valuable biodiversity will be embodied in two new decades from 2021-2030. The names of the two decades are The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
In conclusion, it can be said that knowing about something and acting upon it are two completely different things. Even though, we have started to see biodiversity as an asset with tremendous value to the future generation, certain human activities that harm biodiversity are still being rampantly practiced. Considering the immense importance of public education and awareness about this issue, the United Nations decided to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity annually.
Also read: Coviself: Covid-19 home testing kit approved by ICMR
References:
- 22 May 2021, International Day for Biological Diversity- 22 May 2021: International Day for Biological Diversity (cbd.int)
- Convention on Biological Diversity – Home | Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd.int)
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