The International Day for Biodiversity is observed on May 22 to raise awareness on various issues related to threats that stare biodiversity in the face.
The theme for the year 2020 is “Our solutions are in nature” which emphasizes hope, solidarity and the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature.
The first International Day for Biological Diversity, also known as World Biodiversity Day was created in a UN General Assembly in 1993.
This year’s celebration is special as it will be the first-ever online-only campaign increasing awareness during a pandemic.
“2020 is a year of reflection, opportunity, and solutions. It is expected, from each of us, that we will “Build Back Better” by using this time to increase the resilience of nations and communities as we recover from this pandemic,” the UN said.
The international organisation also warned that loss of biodiversity threatens us all, including our health. “It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses – diseases transmitted from animals to humans, it said.
Prakash Javdekar, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change conveyed a message saying, “Our solutions are in nature. This is eternally true. As human decodes nature’s secret it gains and adds to our knowledge.”
