International Day for Biological Diversity-2025 celebrated

May 22nd was International Day for Biological Diversity. The United Nations General Assembly session in 2000 announced that the day would be celebrated on May 22nd every year. Since then, this day has been celebrated internationally on May 22nd every year. This year, as every year, a large campaign was conducted on social media and other platforms to raise awareness about the day.

The day was celebrated at both the national and international levels by various organizations and government agencies concerned with biodiversity protection through seminars, online competitions and interesting programs.

The amount of biodiversity on Earth is decreasing significantly day by day due to various activities of the human race. Many species of biodiversity have been lost and are being lost from the Earth. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about biodiversity and promote the protection and restoration of damaged ecosystems.

Every year, a theme has been selected for this day. The theme for this year’s Day is “Harmony with nature and sustainable development”.

The theme emphasizes the connection between the plan for nature on International Day for Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting that both should advance in tandem and support one another.

Despite technological advances, we rely on healthy ecosystems for our water, food, medicine, clothing, fuel, shelter, and energy. This year’s theme therefore calls on the global community to rethink our relationship with the natural world.

It is our responsibility and duty to respect, protect, and restore the world’s biological resources for the well-being of humanity.

Biodiversity resources are the cornerstone of building civilization. For nearly 3 billion people, 20 percent of their animal protein comes from fish. More than 80 percent of their food comes from plants. Nearly 80 percent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant-based medicines for basic healthcare.

But the loss of biodiversity threatens everyone, including our health. Loss of biodiversity can lead to increased Zoonoses(transmitted from animals to humans). Conversely, preserving biodiversity offers valuable tools to combat future pandemics like the coronavirus.

Biodiversity is a valuable resource for future generations, but some human activities are significantly reducing species numbers. The United Nations has chosen to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity annually to raise public awareness about its importance.

We are now just five years away from achieving some of the most important climate-related goals. The United Nations (Sustainable Development Goals-SDGs) aim to achieve 17 targets by 2030. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted COP 15in 2022, includes 23 targets to be achieved by that year.

SDG Goal 14: Life below water)and Goal 15: Life on land) are directly linked to biodiversity, while many other goals address it indirectly. The biodiversity plan’s goals include restoring 20% ​​of degraded ecosystems and reducing the number of invasive alien species by 50%.

The campaign aims to create a sense of urgency. We need to act now. By 2025, there are only five years remaining to meet the global biodiversity framework and the short-term targets of the SDGs. The World Economic Forum’s Nature Finance and Biodiversity Credits report states that private finance is crucial, highlighting a $700 billion annual funding gap for nature and biodiversity initiatives.

Courtesy: World Economic Forum

 Sources:

• (UN website);
• (UN Environment Programme website), and
• (World Economic Forum)