UN avers protecting biodiversity 'essential', urges end to 'senseless war' against nature

United Nations (UN) asserted that the International Day for Biodiversity (IDB) on May 22 aims to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. While the organisation had highlighted the importance of safeguarding ecosystems since the start, its need gained momentum recently when the COVID pandemic struck. Speaking about the same, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called upon humanity to end the ‘senseless’ and “destructive’ war against nature. 

“To achieve a sustainable future for all, we need to act urgently to protect biodiversity, the web of life that connects and supports us all,” said Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his message for IBD 2022. “We must end our senseless and destructive war against nature. The rate of species loss is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years – and accelerating," he added. 

Furthermore, he talked about the importance of biodiversity and said that it was “essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending the existential threat of climate change, halting land degradation, building food security and supporting advances in human health. And biodiversity offers ready solutions for green and inclusive growth.”

Denmark sets up Biodiversity Council

This comes as Denmark's Ministry of Environment announced the formation of the country's first Biodiversity Council to advise the government and parliament (Folketing) on nature initiatives. The Danish Minister for Environment, Lea Wermelin, has selected the chairman and eight other members of the Council. "In the future years, the Biodiversity Council will play an essential part in the work of increasing Danish biodiversity and nature, and we will have an experienced woman at the helm in Signe Normand, who can offer a lot of experience and expertise to the work," Wermelin said, Xinhua reported. 

In December 2020, the administration and supporting parties reached an agreement on the package. The Biodiversity Council also aspires to "offer knowledge in a wide range of sectors relevant to biodiversity", such as land and freshwater, inland waters and the high seas, as well as legal, socio-environmental, and behavioural elements of biodiversity.

(Image: AP)