ISLAMABAD: The International Day for Biological Diversity was observed on Monday, with a focus on moving from talks to action and building back biodiversity.
Addressing on the occasion, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that on this day, we reflect on our connection with humanity’s life-support system, from the food we eat and the air we breathe to the medicines that heal us and the energy that fuels us, our lives are entirely dependent on healthy ecosystems.
He said that the actions of human beings are devastating every part of the planet. One million species face extinction risk due to habitat degradation, the worsening climate crisis, and skyrocketing pollution.
While there is an increasing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of immense value to future generations, certain human activities considerably reduce the number of species, from poaching wildlife to illegal logging.
What is Biodiversity
Biological diversity is often considered as the wide variety of plants, microorganisms, and animals, but it also includes genetic differences within each species.
In a weak balance, biodiversity reflects differences between types of crops and breeds of livestock as well as the variety of ecosystems, like lakes, deserts, forests, and agricultural landscapes, that host myriad interactions among their plant, human, and animal guests.
But, the loss of biodiversity endangered all, including health. It is evident that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses — diseases and illnesses transmitted from animals to humans. Keeping biodiversity intact offers better tools to fight against pandemics like those of Covid-19.
A total of 196 countries have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity, the world legal instrument for the protection of biological diversity, the durable use of its components, and the equitable and fair sharing of the benefits coming from the utilization of genetic resources.
