Announcements
World Environment Day 2020
03-06-2020
The foods we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet habitable all come from nature.
Yet, these are exceptional times in which nature is sending us a message:
To care for ourselves we must care for nature.
It’s time to wake up. To take notice. To raise our voices.
It’s time to build back better for People and Planet.
This World Environment Day, it’s Time for Nature.
HISTORY
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June. It is the ‘United Nations’ prime vehicle for encouraging awareness and action to protect our environment. World Environment Day has become a global platform for public outreach, with more than 143 countries participating annually. First organized in 1974, it has been a major campaign for environmental issues ranging from marine pollution, human overgrowth, and raising awareness about global warming, sustainable consumption, and wildlife crime.
THEME
Theme for this year is biodiversity–a concern that is both urgent and existential .
HOST
Every World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, in which official celebrations take place. This year's host is Colombia in partnership with Germany.
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. Biodiversity involves 8 million plant and animal species, the ecosystems that house them, and the genetic diversity among them.
The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.
Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach to preserving biodiversity. Almost all cultures have their roots in our biological diversity in some way or form.
Declining biodiversity is therefore a concern for many reasons.
WHY IS BIODIVERSITY IMPORTANT?
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.
A healthy biodiversity provides a number of natural services for everyone:
Ecosystem services, such as
• Protection of water resources
• Soils formation and protection
• Nutrient storage and recycling
• Pollution breakdown and absorption
• Contribution to climate stability
• Maintenance of ecosystems
• Recovery from unpredictable events
Biological resources, such as
• Food
• Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs
• Wood products
• Ornamental plants
• Breeding stocks, population reservoirs
• Future resources
• Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems
Social benefits, such as
• Research, education and monitoring
• Recreation and tourism
• Cultural values
A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops
Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms
Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.
And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.
