Sri Lanka is a paradise for biodiversity, despite moves that political leaders and business tycoons take to damage this diversity. On May 22, the United Nations marks the International Day for Biological Diversity with the theme being building a shared future for all life. In a statement the UN says As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain; despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.
According to the UN fitting within the context of the ongoing United Nations Decade on Restoration, which highlights that biodiversity is the answer to several sustainable development challenges, the slogan conveys the message that biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better.
From ecosystem-based approaches to climate and/or nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better. That is the main message from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), key international instrument for sustainable development. Stressing that when biodiversity has problem, humanity has a problem the UN says biological diversity is often understood in terms of the wide variety of plants, animals and microorganisms, but it also includes genetic differences within each species — for example, between varieties of crops and breeds of livestock — and the variety of ecosystems -- lakes, forest, deserts, agricultural landscapes that host multiple kind of interactions among their members -- humans, plants and animals.
Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations. Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about three billion people. More than 80% of the human diet is provided by plants. As many as 80% of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant‐based medicines for basic healthcare.
But loss of biodiversity threatens all, including our health. It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses - diseases transmitted from animals to humans- while, on the other hand, if we keep biodiversity intact, it offers excellent tools to fight against pandemics like those caused by coronaviruses.
While there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of tremendous value to future generations, the number of species is being significantly reduced by certain human activities. Given the importance of public education and awareness about this issue, the UN decided to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity annually.
Current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards 80% of the assessed targets of eight Sustainable Development Goals. Three-quarters of the land-based environment and about 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions.One million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Meanwhile the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has given a beginner’s guide to ecosystem restoration. It’s a phrase that’s been on the lips of scientists, officials and environmental activists a lot in the last few months: ecosystem restoration. This year, June 5, World Environment Day, marks the official launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a 10-year push to halt and reverse the decline of the natural world.
What exactly is an ecosystem and how do you restore one? To answer the first question an ecosystem is a place where plants, animals and other organisms, in conjunction with the landscape around them, come together to form the web of life. Ecosystems can be large, like a forest, or small, like a pond. Many are crucial to human societies, providing people with water, food, building materials and a host of other essentials. They also provide planet-wide benefits like climate protection and biodiversity conservation. But in recent decades, humanity’s hunger for resources has pushed many ecosystems to the breaking point.
In Sri Lanka, most political leaders and top business tycoons know little and care less about biodiversity. We hope they would educate and enlighten themselves to give more attention to this. The people also need to play a part. If we just act as residents of this country, we will focus mostly on what benefits us and our families. Instead of just being residents, we need to be citizens who act effectively for the common good and play a bigger role in vital issues such as preserving biodiversity.
English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author David Attenborough says, it is that range of biodiversity that we must care for - the whole thing - rather than just one or two stars.
