On May 22, the world celebrates the International Day of Biodiversity. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2000.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasized the existence of sustainable ecosystems in his message dedicated to the International Day of Biodiversity. "The air we breathe, the food we draw energy from, and the medicines that heal us, all of this and our lives depend entirely on the health of ecosystems," he said, emphasizing that human actions have disastrous consequences for the planet.
Biodiversity is often considered in terms of species richness of plants, animals and microorganisms. About 1.75 million species have been described so far, most of which are tiny creatures like insects. According to scientists, the real number of species is about 13 million, but this figure, according to various estimates, ranges from 3 to 100 million.
2023 is special in terms of biodiversity conservation. In December 2022, the Global Framework for Biological Diversity was signed (Kunming-Montreal). This is a landmark agreement that sets goals and concrete actions to halt biodiversity loss by 2050. The framework's goals include restoring 30 percent of ecosystems, cutting food waste in half, and investing at least $200 billion a year in biodiversity conservation strategies.
May 23, 2023 at 11:19