22 May 2017: International Day for Biological Diversity

The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is celebrated annually on 22 May. United Nations established the day for the promotion of biodiversity issues.

The International Day for Biological Diversity falls within the scope of the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals. In this larger initiative of international cooperation, the topic of biodiversity concerns people involved in sustainable agricultre; 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.

The critical role of biodiversity in sustainable development was recognized in the Rio+20 document, "The World We Want: A Future for All".

The 2017 Theme is “Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism.” Diversity in species, ecosystems, and landscapes attracts tourism and promotes economic growth. In turn, a well-managed tourism sector can help reduce threats to wildlife, and can maintain or increase biodiversity through tourism revenue.

The celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity under the theme “Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism” is an opportunity to raise awareness of the important contribution of sustainable tourism both to economic growth and to the conservation of biodiversity.

The UN General Assembly announced the day in 1993 and it was celebrated on 29 December each year until 2000. On 20 December 2000, the date was shifted to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 22 May 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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