International Year of Biodiversity
The Year of Biodiversity: Biodiversity Is Life!
Biodiversiy is of vital importance! What we keep in our refrigerator has an impact on our lives, and not only on ours, but also the lives of humans, animals plants existing thousands of kilometers away. Vice versa, our wellbeing is also determined by the way biodiversity is treated elswhere. This mutuality of interests has not prevented the accelerated reduction of animal and plant diversity which has already been going on for a long time. Our wellbeing is likely to be jeopardized as well.
In order to contravene the reduction of biodiversity the United Nations established the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 (CBD). This convention is actively joined by 168 countries. In 2005, these countries agreed to the target to stop as far as possible the speed of biodiversity loss in 2010. Following this target, the Europan Union decided to even completely stop the reduction of biodiversity in 2010.
This is why the United Nations proclaimed the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. In this year all countries will give extra attention to biodiversity and report progress in achieving the targets. At the 10th CBD Conference of Parties in Nagoya (Japan) new agreements will be made on further action.
The Netherlands join in, to. In order to at once suit the action to the word, a coalition of government bodies, civil society organisations, and business companies was established which together will take the lead in communication on biodiversity: Coalitie Biodiversiteit 2010 (Coalition on Biodiversity 2010). Many activities willtake place throughout the year. The Coalition took off on 4 November 2009 at an event called Hoogste tijd voor Biodiversiteit. (High Time for Biodiversity).
During the whole year of 2010, special attention will be paid to what opportunities biodiversity presents to you and your environment, how you and others can make maximum use of these opportunities, and why biodiversity is of vital importance for your, too!
Please consult this page regularly for the latest news!
