BIODIVERSITY
BIODIVERSITY IS LIFE, BIODIVERSITY IS OUR LIFE
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and aims to encourage people to take responsibility of the planet. David Ainsworth explains how attractions are helping
What is the International Year of Biodiversity?
The United Nations General Assembly declared that 2010 will be the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) and will help raise awareness of the importance of biodiver- sity all over the world. It’s an opportunity to stress the importance of biodiversity for our wellbeing, refl ect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity so far and encour- age a redoubling of our efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. Governments around the world are being asked to create a new global strategy to combat biodiver- sity loss and the United Nations General Assembly will have a high level segment to address the issue of a more sustainable future for biodiversity loss.
What are its aims?
The International Year of Biodiversity aims to raise awareness all over the world
Through the IYB 2010 we hope to give a platform to all the organisations working all over the world to safeguard biodiver- sity. The objectives are to enhance public awareness of the importance of safeguard- ing biodiversity and of the underlying
DAVID WITHOUT BORDERS
This multinational expedition is being broadcast to a web series to inform the audience about the importance of biodi- versity for our planet. During 12 months, the explorers will travel around the world with a high defi nition camera to gather the most current information from local entrepreneurs, scientists, and commu- nities on biodiversity inspired projects. These projects will have a great impact on both regional and national regions.
www.davidwithoutborders.com
threats to biodiversity, raise awareness of the accomplishments to save biodiversity that have already been realised by com- munities and governments, encourage individuals, organisations and govern- ments to take the immediate steps needed to halt the loss of biodiversity, promote innovative solutions to reduce the threats to biodiversity and start dialogue between stakeholders for the steps to be taken in the post-2010 period.
What’s the message?
ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, KEW, UK
In a fi tting success story to celebrate IYB, Carlos Magdalena, a horticultur- ist at Kew, has discovered the secret of growing a rare species of African water- lily – bringing it back from the brink of extinction. The thermal lily (Nymphaea thermarum) is believed to be the small- est waterlily in the world, with pads that can be as little as 1cm in diameter. Kew is also hosting daily biodiversity
tours around the gardens in which visi- tors learn about biodiversity hot spots, the importance of the rainforest, plant and animal interdependence and Kew’s conservation work around the world.
‘Biodiversity is life, Biodiversity is our life’. Because biodiversity is a very scientifi c concept, the challenge is to encourage people to understand what it means for their daily lives. A number of information products have been developed with partners, including web, print and other materials in support of press, radio and television. The secre- tariat has created a core set with the aim of making them available to a number of organisations for further targeting and dissemination. People are extremely responsive – they’re fi nding creative ways to get the message out, from putting the slogan on bottles of wine, to handing out packets of fl ower seeds around the coun- try, to creating postage stamps.
How was the year organised?
It was proclaimed by a United Nations resolution, and then the mandate to organ- ise it was given to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The
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