Island biodiversity

Last week, the UN and its member countries celebrated a very important day, which held special significance for islanders. This year’s the International Day for Biological Diversity observed worldwide on May 22 had the theme ‘Island Biodiversity’.

Sri Lanka is a fairly big island that has its share of unique flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth. We also have many small islands that dot our seascape, with their own habitat systems such as the wild horses on Delft. Indeed, this uniqueness is true of all other islands large and small, from Samoa to Madagascar to that island continent, Australia.

From the koalas in Australia to the famous upside down ‘Baobab’ trees, this uniqueness is due to the fact the islands have been isolated from the nearest continental land masses for millions of years, which paved the way for new evolutionary trends.

Since all islands by definition are surrounded by the ocean (and in rare cases, big inland lakes), some of the marine ecosystems are also unique. As the UN notes, the legacy of a unique evolutionary history these ecosystems are irreplaceable treasures.

They are also key to the livelihood, economy, well-being and cultural identity of 600 million islanders - nearly one-tenth of the world’s population.

The theme Island Biodiversity was chosen to coincide with the designation by the United Nations General Assembly of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States. In addition, the theme was chosen to correspond with the timing of a UN decision to “to strengthen the implementation of the Program of Work on Island Biodiversity.”

This year, the world will celebrate the contributions that Small Island Developing States has made to the world. This will be highlighted at the UN Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which is to be held in Apia, Samoa in September 2014. Practical actions that advance the economic, social and environmental well-being of islanders will be at the heart of these discussions among government and civil society representatives from island states.

Ecosystem

Why are islands and their biodiversity so important? Many islanders are endowed with unique cultures and derive much of their economic, environmental and cultural well-being directly or indirectly from the rich natural resources in their immediate environment. Islands have numerous discrete ecosystems, from mountain forests to wetlands that provide food, fresh water, wood, fibre, medicines, fuel, tools and other important raw materials, in addition to aesthetic, spiritual, educational and recreational values, that support island livelihoods, economies and cultures.

Island ecosystems also contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem functions: they provide defence against natural disasters, support nutrient cycling, and soil and sand formation; and they contribute to the regulation of climate and diseases.

The UN has identified many factors that impede progress in these areas such as Small populations and economies, Weak institutional capacity in both the public and the private sector, Remoteness from international markets, Susceptibility to natural disasters and climate change (including in particular sea-level rise from climate change and also tsunamis like the one Sri Lanka witnessed in 2004), Fragility of land and marine ecosystems, High cost of transportation, Limited diversification in production and exports and Dependence on international markets, export concentration, and income volatility.

These are especially applicable to SIDS, but even larger islands such as ours face many of these problems.

Habitat

The recent Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concluded that the main causes of island biodiversity loss would either continue or increase rapidly. It projected that the impacts of climate change and pollution from nutrient loading will become increasingly severe and that the impacts associated with habitat change, over-exploitation and invasive species will continue to be high.

The report identified several factors that threaten island biodiversity including tourism development, invasive species (from continents and other islands), climate change, natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, overexploitation of resources and pollution/solid waste disposal. Most island states find it extremely difficult to balance concerns such as development and environmental conservation, as people (along with controlled agriculture and livestock) expand to areas previously occupied by wild flora and fauna. It is a crucial problem to which finding answers is rather difficult.

This is why there is a need for worldwide cooperation led by the UN and other relevant agencies to resolve the problems faced by island states, big and small. Islands too should get together to share their problems, insights and solutions.

That is the only way to preserve the biodiversity of these diverse islands.