Document

Biting the Hand that Feeds Us

Tired Earth

By The Editorial Board

On May 22, 1992, the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted by the of the United Nations at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 2001, the International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated each year on the anniversary of this data. The International Day for Biological Diversity is an occasion to increase the global understanding and awareness of issues and challenges around biodiversity. In this larger initiative of international cooperation, the topic of biodiversity concerns stakeholders in sustainable agriculture; desertification, land degradation and drought; water and sanitation; health and sustainable development; energy; science, technology and innovation, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building; urban resilience and adaptation; sustainable transport; climate change and disaster risk reduction; oceans and seas; forests; vulnerable groups including indigenous peoples; and food security.

Each year, the International Day for Biodiversity focuses on a particular theme. These are the whole themes:

2002 Dedicated to forest biodiversity
2003 Biodiversity and poverty alleviation – challenges for sustainable development
2004 Biodiversity: Food, Water and Health for All
2005 Biodiversity: Life Insurance for our Changing World
2006 Protect Biodiversity in Drylands
2007 Biodiversity and Climate Change
2008 Biodiversity and Agriculture
2009 Invasive Alien Species
2010 Biodiversity, Development and poverty reduction
2011 Forest Biodiversity
2012 Marine Biodiversity
2013 Water and Biodiversity
2014 Island Biodiversity
2015 Convention on Biological Diversity
2016 Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods
2017 Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism
2018 Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Loss of biodiversity

It’s obvious that Humanity’s fate is tightly linked with biological diversity – the variety of life on earth. However, the depressing aspect of biodiversity is loss of a number of species. Did you know that more than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity, while over 1.6 billion people rely on forests and non-timber forest products for their livelihoods? There are several species that have already suffered irreversible consequences or are just about to do it:

• Three species disappear every hour Cloud forests are running out of frogs

From 100 to 150 species disappear every day
From 15.000 to 80.000 species disappear every year

The Adelie penguin, the polar bear population, the flycatcher, a species of bird, and up to 74 species of cloud forest frogs, are some examples of in danger species caused by climate change, decrease in food, global warming and so on.

These sad examples are just a small sample of how humans mistreat biodiversity. The IPCC says that 50% of all reported species have been negatively affected in recent years by climate change.

Protecting nature is both a moral and ethical issue. It goes without saying that we must preserve the planet's natural wonders for its own sake and for future generations, but if that is not a convincing enough argument for some people than the economic argument should be. It is in our own interest to conserve and restore them – otherwise we are just biting the hand that feeds us. And if we don't make those smart investments now to protect biodiversity and the healthy ecosystems around us, then we face even heavier bills later trying to restore what has been lost. Presentations of programs to preserve endangered species or habitats and Planting trees and other plants that help prevent erosion, are some beneficial ways to help biodiversity.

Source :