International Year of Biodiversity

“Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is Our Life”

by Pramod DE SILVA

The Earth is teeming with life. While there is a raging debate on the very meaning of ‘life’ and whether life is unique to Earth, there is no doubt at all about the astonishing variety of life forms on our planet. From the tiniest microbe to the massive blue whale, from minuscule algae to the giant Sierra Redwood tree, Earth has an abundance of life on land, in water and of course, in the sky. Plants, animals and everything in between - man included - make our planet easily the most interesting one in the solar system, and may be even in the whole universe. This diverse life system is generally called biodiversity, although a more scientific explanation is “the variability among living organisms from all sources - this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”.

The UN has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). The UN’s goal is to increase public awareness on the topic of biodiversity. The global launch of IYB will take place tomorrow in Berlin, Germany under the appropriate theme “Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is Our Life”.

This will be followed on January 21 by the first major event of the Year, a high-profile meeting at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is expected to bring together heads of state and their representatives. There will be a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York at the start of the General Assembly’s 65th annual General Debate in September and an official closing in Kanazawa, Japan, in December.

What are the Objectives of IYB ? * Raise awareness of the importance of conserving biodiversity for human well-being and promote understanding of the economic value of biodiversity * Enhance public knowledge of the threats to biodiversity and means to conserve it * Engage an increasing number of people * Celebrate the achievements by governments and other partners * Use the momentum to trigger even more action for biodiversity * Help achieve Biodiversity Targets for 2010

But why should we care ? There is no doubt that the planet is facing its greatest crisis. Global warming may lead to a major upheaval on Planet Earth. In other words, many species are vanishing before our very eyes.

Today, the rate of species extinction may be 1,000 times higher than the natural background rate. In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed species are threatened with extinction. Climate change is emerging as one of the most significant drivers of this biodiversity loss. The results reveal 21 per cent of all known mammals, 30 per cent of all known amphibians, 12 per cent of all known birds, and 28 per cent of reptiles, 37 per cent of freshwater fishes, 70 per cent of plants, 35 per cent of invertebrates assessed so far are under threat. Of the 12,151 plants on the IUCN Red List, 8,500 are threatened with extinction, with 114 already Extinct or Extinct in the Wild. It is thus highly unlikely that this year’s biodiversity targets would be met.

The goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 is the subject of several key international agreements. Each recognises the rapid degradation of ecosystems and habitats, the increasing threat to many species populations and the urgent need to take action that will halt the decline in irreplaceable natural resources. The main Target is “to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss”, the one addressed at EU and Pan-European level is even more ambitious as to “halt the loss of biodiversity”. Since 2007, the 2010 Biodiversity Target is fully integrated into the Millennium Development Goals.

“This year’s IUCN Red List makes for sobering reading,” says Craig Hilton-Taylor, Manager of the IUCN Red List Unit. “These results are just the tip of the iceberg. We have only managed to assess 47,663 species so far; there are many more millions out there which could be under serious threat. We do, however, know from experience that conservation action works so let’s not wait until it’s too late and start saving our species now.”

“Humans are part of nature’s rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it,” says the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on.

Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on every day. But we can prevent them.”

That is the message that activists hope to spread this year. The loss of biodiversity can be prevented if corrective action is taken early.

We must remember that the world’s diverse ecosystems purify the air and the water that are the basis of life, stabilize and moderate the Earth’s climate, renew soil fertility, cycle nutrients and pollinate plants.

“A wide variety of environmental goods and services that we take for granted are under threat, with profound and damaging consequences for ecosystems, economies and livelihoods,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in November at the start of the pre-celebrations.

“In this International Year, we must counter the perception that people are disconnected from our natural environment. We must increase understanding of the implications of losing biodiversity. In 2010, I call on every country and each citizen of our planet to engage in a global alliance to protect life on Earth.”

But is there anything we can do to save our planet and hence, biodiversity ? The goal is to prevent global warming, which has a direct effect on biodiversity. Here, according to the UN, are some of the things you can do to save the world:

1. Take public transport, bike, walk, or carpool to work (or other destination) at least one day a week. Avoid air travel where possible.

2. Buy food, preferably organic food-vegetables, fruits, dairy, eggs, and meat-from a farmer’s market

3. Eat sustainably harvested seafood and farmed fish that is herbivorous, like catfish, tilapia, and shellfish.

4. Install at least one compact fluorescent light bulb in your home-it will save electricity and replacement bulb costs each year, and reduce carbon emissions by a ton every three years.

5. Turn off lights in empty rooms.

6. Stop using herbicides and pesticides where possible

7. Tell everyone what you are doing to conserve biodiversity and ask them to join you. Support representatives who act for biodiversity.

8. Above all, do not waste-reduce your consumption, buy only what you really need, and re-use and re-cycle whatever and whenever you can.

It is not only the UN, Governments and international wildlife/conservation organisations that should work to protect biodiversity.

Individuals too can participate in this process by caring for Life and Nature. We owe it to Planet Earth, our only home. We may one day go in search of other habitable planets, but until then, let’s protect the one we are already in.