International Day for Biodiversity: UN looks to preserve nature and ensure nutrition access

22 May 2024 --- The UN Secretariat for Biological Diversity asserts that biodiversity is essential for the survival of “everything in nature,” including nutrition, clean water and shelter. On today’s International Day for Biodiversity, the international community commemorates the adoption of the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the same date in 1992.

This year’s theme is “be part of the plan,” a call out to stakeholders to halt and reverse the deterioration of biodiversity by facilitating the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, known as The Biodiversity Plan.

The UN invites citizens and civil society to add new healthy and local foods to their diet, consider a more moderate consumption of meat and fish in order to reduce pressure on natural resources and to consume fruit and vegetables that are in season, among other steps.

“As we mark this Day for Biological Diversity, let us commit to be part of the plan. Let us act urgently to put biodiversity on a path to recovery. And let us build ambition to CBD COP16 in October to protect the planet and create a more sustainable future for us all,” comments UN secretary general António Guterres.

Be part of the plan
The Biodiversity Plan, adopted at COP15 in 2022, aims to facilitate the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Biodiversity Convention’s previous strategic plans. This is to be achieved through the setting of national targets for its implementation.

As this year’s theme for Biodiversity Day aims to spotlight and encourage the implementation of the plan to “halt and reverse” biodiversity loss, the UN secretariat calls for a “whole-of-society approach.”

The UN invites citizens and civil society “to be part of the plan” by introducing environmentally-conscious changes to their diets.Aside from national governments, other important stakeholders and groups encouraged to participate are citizens and civil society, women and girls, young people, indigenous peoples and local communities, subnational governments and cities, businesses and financial institutions.

In particular, the UN calls on citizens and civil society to “protect and restore nature” by mindfully sourcing food products and reducing waste by shopping sensibly. The international organization points out that the chemical ingredients found in pesticides can affect biodiversity, and thus, the adoption of environmentally friendly alternatives is encouraged.

Engaging citizens
Citizens and civil society are also to “prosper with nature” by supporting local markets, bio-products, fair trade certifications and eco-friendly labels when making purchases. The general population should also “share benefits fairly,” while respecting the “knowledge, practices and innovations” of indigenous people and local communities in respect to nutrition and biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Secretariat further calls for citizens and civil society to “invest and collaborate” by engaging with political officials and local representatives in their areas on what they are doing to ensure the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.

Young people are also encouraged to “protect and restore,” especially by improving their knowledge of what scientists and farmers are doing to safeguard seeds and animal breeds for future generations, reading labels to learn about the impact chemicals found in most households may have on biodiversity and offer advice to family and friends.

Ivonne Higuero, secretary-general of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, asserts: “Our efforts can only succeed with the active participation of everyone. Whether you are a government official, conservationist, business leader, youth or a nature lover like me, be a part of the plan to build a future of prosperity for biodiversity, for all life on Earth.”

By Milana Nikolova

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