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22 May 2018: International Day for Biological Diversity





The United Nations (UN) International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated annually on 22 May.

The theme for the 2018 International Day for Biological Diversity is “Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity Families.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention has been implemented in countries, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), indigenous peoples and local communities, and the scientific community.

To date, the Convention has resulted in the development of scientific guidance for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for biomes around the world; the establishment of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization; and the creation and implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans. 

The Strategic Plan is comprised of a shared vision, a mission, strategic goals and 20 targets, called the Aichi Targets. After adopting the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, parties have achieved a number of its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The Strategic Plan serves as a flexible framework for the establishment of national and regional targets and it promotes the coherent and effective implementation of the 3 objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The mission is to take action to halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems are resilient, thereby securing the planet's variety of life, and contributing to human well-being and poverty eradication. 

To ensure this, the 3 objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are: (1)pressures on biodiversity are reduced, ecosystems are restored, biological resources are sustainably used and benefits arising out of utilization of genetic resources are shared in a fair and equitable manner; (2) adequate financial resources are provided, capacities are enhanced, and biodiversity issues and values mainstreamed; and (3) appropriate policies are effectively implemented and decision-making is based on sound science and the precautionary approach."

There is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset to present and future generations. However, the number of species is being significantly reduced by some human activities.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is the international legal instrument for "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources" that has been ratified by 196 nations.

Given the importance of public education and awareness for the implementation of the Convention, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity on 20 December 2000.

The 25th anniversary of the Convention presents a unique opportunity to highlight the achievement of its objectives at national and global levels. It also provides an opportunity to look towards the future. 

The Secretariat of the Convention will hold events and meetings in Montreal and New York to commemorate the anniversary, and to re-state and reinforce the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for Biodiversity (Number 15) - halting biodiversity loss and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems. 





MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), 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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