Biodiversity Day: Building a shared future for all life

This year’s slogan of the International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated on May 22nd is Building a shared future for all life. Despite all the technological advances of mankind, the availability of water, food, medicine, and energy depends entirely on the healthy and vital ecosystems of the planet. The global community is invited to review its relationship with nature and mark Biodiversity Day. Biodiversity determines ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being, safety, and health.

Biodiversity refers to biological variety in all its forms, from the genetic composition of plants and animals to cultural diversity. Biodiversity is observed on three levels, species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Biodiversity is the foundation on which we can build back better. Biodiversity resources are the pillars of civilization, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, notes on the occasion of the observance of the International Day of Biodiversity.

If biodiversity has problem, humanity is in trouble

Climate crisis solutions, health, food security, water availability, and resource sustainability depend on solutions based on a correct approach to ecosystems and the biodiversity of life on earth. Although it is recognized as a global wealth of tremendous value for future generations, the number of species is decreasing significantly.

Man has significantly altered about three-quarters of land-based environments

Human activities impaired and overexploited the planet’s biocapacity. Man has significantly altered about three-quarters of land-based environments.

Natural equilibrium impaired

Habitat loss due to agriculture and infrastructure construction, over-exploitation, pollution, the emergence of invasive species, and climate disturbances caused by human activities over the last half-century have caused the largest change in biodiversity in the history of mankind.

About 8% of global emissions are caused by the burning and deforestation of tropical forests

Climate change is becoming the biggest threat to biodiversity, partly because it also affects uninhabited areas. The loss of ecosystems also affects the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. About 8% of global emissions are caused by the burning and deforestation of tropical forests. Also, the loss of wetlands is currently three times faster in percentage than the loss of forests.

An average decrease in the population of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016 is 68%

The intersection of human activities, the environment, and biodiversity around the world has resulted in an average decrease of 68% in the population of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016.

Interdependence of humankind and the ecosystem

Ecosystem services mean the conditions and processes in natural ecosystems that enable human life on the planet.

Ecosystem services include air and water treatment, mitigation of floods and droughts, detoxification and degradation of waste, creation, and restoration of fertile land, crop pollination and natural vegetation, partial climate stabilization, mitigation of temperature extremes, and more.

The preservation of natural diversity directly affects and improves the service of ecosystems, primarily the stability and yields of arable crops, animal feed, and fisheries. Biodiversity is also directly related to the sequestration of carbon in the soil, and the reduction of respectable CO2 in the atmosphere, with a significant role in the fight against climate change.

Biodiversity is also directly related to the sequestration of carbon in the soil, and the reduction of respectable CO2 in the atmosphere

The richness of biodiversity enables food, natural fibers, wood, biomass fuels, crop pollination, and medicines and contributes to human well-being, material well-being, security, social relations, and health.

According to the UN, more than 80% of the human diet is provided by plants. Fish provides 20% animal protein to about 3 billion people. As many as 80% of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional herbal medicines for basic health care.

Negative trends in biodiversity indicate that humanity will not fulfill 80% of the tasks set under the SDGs

The loss of biodiversity is not just an environmental issue. If continues, negative trends in biodiversity indicate that humanity will not fulfill 80% of the tasks set under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which relate to poverty, hunger, and health, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

Official Biodiversity Conservation Policies

It is necessary to halt the loss of biodiversity to ensure a stable future on the planet. Every fifth country in the world is at risk of collapsing its ecosystems, endangering food security, clean water and air, and flood protection.

Every fifth country in the world is at risk of collapsing its ecosystems, endangering food security, clean water and air, and flood protection

We convey the message sent by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day for Biodiversity.

More than half of global GDP depends on high-functioning biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, pressures on ecosystems are mounting, and many are on the verge of collapse.

Biodiversity Day 2022 focuses on the new global biodiversity framework to be adopted at the upcoming UN Conference on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Kunming, China.

The European system of protected habitats

A report on the state of nature in the European Union for 2020 showed that 81% of protected habitats in the EU and 63% of protected species are in poor conservation status. European protected habitats and species continue to decline at an alarming rate as the multiple pressures they face are simply too great to allow their recovery, the report said.

Europe’s protected habitats and species continue to decline at an alarming rate as the multiple pressures they face are simply too big

Over the last 25 years, the EU has built a network of 26,000 protected areas within its borders, covering more than 850,000 square kilometers. This system is known as Natura 2000 and is the largest network of protected areas in the world.

Unknown and unexplored

So far, science has recorded about 1.9 million different living species on the planet. It is estimated that there are about 8.7 million eukaryotic species (complex cells) on the ground. Of these, 86 percent of terrestrial species and 91 percent of ocean species have not yet been described.

Many life forms are microscopic or live deep underground, or in the oceans, and many species have simply not yet been discovered.