The loss of biodiversity is a loss for humanity.
Biodiversity refers to the wide variety of existing plants, animals and microorganisms, but also includes genetic differences within each species – for example, between crop varieties and livestock breeds – as well as the variety of ecosystems (lakes, forests, deserts, agricultural fields, etc.) that harbor multiple interactions between their members (humans, plants, animals) and their environment (water, air, forest floor).
Biological resources are the pillars that support civilizations. Fish provide 20% of animal protein for about 3 billion people. More than 80% of the human diet is composed of plants. Approximately 80% of people living in rural areas of developing countries rely on traditional plant-based medicines for basic health care.
But the loss of this diversity threatens all these areas, including our health. There is evidence that losing our biodiversity could increase cases of zoonoses – diseases transmitted from animals to humans – while, on the contrary, if we manage to keep it stable, it could be a great tool in the fight against pandemics such as those caused by coronaviruses.
The value of biological diversity. While we are increasingly aware that biological diversity is a global asset of great value for present and future generations, the number of species is declining at an accelerating rate due to human activity. Given the importance of public education and awareness of this threat, the United Nations decided to proclaim the celebration of this International Day for Biological Diversity every year.
“Our solutions are in nature.”
As our global community must reexamine our relationship with the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances, we are utterly dependent on healthy, vibrant ecosystems if we are to have water, food, medicine, clothing, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few. The theme “Our solutions are in nature” emphasizes hope, solidarity and the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature.
This theme in turn encompassed 3 essential approaches to biodiversity that were developed during the week leading up to the international day: May 18 covered the importance of knowledge and science; from May 19 to 21 the focus was on raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity; and finally, on the International Day, the invitation to take action.
2020 is a year of reflection, opportunity and solutions. Each of us is expected to “Build Back Better” by using this time to increase the resilience of nations and communities as we recover from this pandemic. 2020 is the year when, more than ever, we must express our will to “flatten and reduce the curve” of biodiversity loss for the benefit of humans and all life on Earth.
2020 will see the final period of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as well as the Decade of Biodiversity, which will usher in new biodiversity-related decades for the period 2021-2030: The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration; and the Biodiversity Summit, to emphasize the need for action at the highest levels in support of a post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
Sources consulted:
https
://www.un.org/es/observances/biological-diversity-day
https://asidehonduras.org/colibri-esmeralda-hondureno/
Photo credit Honduran emerald hummingbird ASIDE
¿And what are we at COCESNA doing??
The strategic plan of the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation Services (COCESNA) includes among its strategic objectives:
“To promote corporate social responsibility as part of the global effort to achieve sustainable development. corporate social responsibility, within the framework of the global effort to achieve sustainable development.
What do we relato our free green COCESNA about biological diversity?
“In In the case of Central America, despite being an isthmus that occupies only 2% of the earth’s surface, it contributes 12% of the world’s biodiversity. Two of its states, Guatemala and Costa Rica, are ranked among the most biodiverse countries on the planet, according to the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD).
Biodiversity is responsible for guaranteeing the balance of ecosystems on the planet, as a species we need it to survive, however, today we are the main threat to the world’s biological diversity, through deforestation, environmental pollution and actions that cause global warming.
Biodiversity is dynamic, it can change in terms of periods, because it is an evolutionary system both in the ecosystems and in the species that compose it..”