AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio News on air. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.
This article is about the discussion on: ‘International Day for Biological Diversity – From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity’.
Participants:
- Dr C.K. Varshney: Environmentalist
- Arjun J Chaudhary: AIR Correspondent
Context – International Day for Biodiversity is observed every year on 22nd May to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity and highlight the need to protect and conserve our planet’s rich natural heritage. The theme for the International Day for Biodiversity 2023 is “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity”.
Biodiversity and its Significance –
Biodiversity is an umbrella term used to describe all the different species of plants, animals, micro-organisms and the ecosystem in which they live, interact and thrive. Biodiversity is the variability between species, within species and between ecosystems. Biodiversity can include everything from towering redwood trees to tiny single-celled algae that are impossible to see without a microscope.
- Biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the ecosystem because each species has an important role to play in the ecosystem.
- All species are interconnected and depend on one another. Forests provide homes for animals. Animals eat plants. The plants need healthy soil to grow. Fungi help decompose organisms to fertilise the soil. Bees and other insects carry pollen from one plant to another, which enables the plants to reproduce. With less biodiversity, these connections weaken and sometimes break, harming all the species in the ecosystem.
- Ecosystems with a lot of biodiversity are more stable and are more resistant to disaster than those with fewer species.
- Biodiversity is very important for the survival of mankind on Earth. Plants, for instance, are the only source of oxygen and also provide food, medicine, fibre, etc. Plants, fungi, and worms keep the soil fertile and water clean. As biodiversity decreases these systems break down.
Challenges to Biodiversity and Biodiversity Loss Influencing Climate Change –
Biodiversity loss is the decrease in the number of a particular species in a certain habitat. Loss of biodiversity can lead to extinction of plant and animal species. Around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless urgent action is taken. One out of every 8 living species is in danger of extinction.
Know more about the causes of biodiversity loss in the linked article.
- Many species in the past or in the immediate past have been lost due to the reckless exploitation of valuable species as well as habitat loss. For example, there are many bird species that have gone extinct like the Dodo bird, Great Auk, and the Passenger pigeon. All species play an important part in running the global enterprise known as Earth.
- Loss of biodiversity also accelerates climate change processes, as the capacity of degraded ecosystems to assimilate and store carbon dioxide tends to decrease and climate change is also a major driver of biodiversity erosion.
- Pollution, species over-exploitation, changes in land and sea use, invasive species and disease are the major threats to global biodiversity. Changes in land and sea use account for the largest portion of loss, making up 50% of recorded threats to biodiversity on average. Species overexploitation is the second biggest threat at 24% on average, while invasive species take the third spot at 13% (according to WWF).
Read more about the International Day for Biodiversity in the linked article.
Significance of Celebrating International Day for Biodiversity-
Every year, May 22 is marked as the International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. This day serves as a reminder of the incredible diversity of species, ecosystems and genetic resources that make our planet unique. Biodiversity is the foundation of our food, water, air and overall well-being. The increasing rate of species extinction, habitat loss and degradation poses a significant threat to biodiversity. The International Day for Biodiversity aims to raise awareness about these challenges and promote efforts to protect and conserve biodiversity.
- The theme for the International Day for Biodiversity 2023 is “From Agreement to Action: Building Back Biodiversity”. This theme is in continuation of the outcomes from COP-15 in which the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted in December 2022.
- GBF includes 4 goals and 23 targets to be achieved by 2030. The key targets include a 30×30 deal, that is, protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine biodiversity by 2030. The deal also aspires to restore 30% of degraded lands and waters throughout the decade, up from an earlier aim of 20%.
- The agreement seeks to raise international financial flows (Global Biodiversity Fund) from developed nations to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and countries with economies in transition — with funding rising to at least $20 billion per year by 2025, and to at least $30 billion per year by 2030.
- The other important targets include – Reduce risk from pesticides by at least 50% by 2030, reduce food wastage by 50%, and sustainably manage areas under agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry.
Biodiversity Conservation –
International organisations like WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and UNCBD ( United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity) tackle the issues facing biodiversity conservation challenges.
Conclusion – Biodiversity is vital for sustainable development. It plays a crucial role in providing ecosystem services such as clean air and water, pollination, soil fertility, and climate regulation. The International Day for Biodiversity emphasises the link between biodiversity conservation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Private organisations, government institutions, NGOs and individuals should all join hands to protect biodiversity which is vital for the sustenance of mankind. Every day, we have to be very sensitive towards biodiversity so that it survives and supports life on the planet.
Read previous AIR Spotlight articles here.
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