FAO celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity
Building a shared future for all life
FAO Biological Diversity Day
©FAO
Budapest (Hungary) – Every year on 22 May, International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated to highlight the importance of biodiversity for many sustainable development issues, fitting within the context of the ongoing United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
This year’s slogan is “Building a Shared Future for all Life”, chosen to continue to building momentum generated in 2020 and 2021, in support of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, due to be adopted at part two of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP-15) in Kunming, China, later this year.
“As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, in the context of the build back better from COVID-19, we are all aware of the fact that despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few”, said Tania Santivanez, FAO agricultural officer.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is committed to promoting sustainable practices that deliver healthy food and prosperity for all while preserving our natural resources.
Biodiversity also holds important solutions to many of the challenges faced by our agrifood systems.
Recognizing its importance, FAO’s new Strategic Framework for the next decade seeks to support the 2030 Agenda through the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. The sustainable use, restoration and conservation of biodiversity is crucial for this.
Ecosystem approach to transform agrifood systems and restore biodiversity in Europe and Central Asia
Being part of the primary centres of the origin of crop plants, Europe and Central Asia region is home to a vast number of wild relatives of cultivated plants and domesticated animals. Throughout centuries, smallholders and family farmers, livestock keepers, forest dwellers, fishers and fish farmers, and local and indigenous communities remain the custodians of the genetic, species and ecosystem variety in and around production systems – Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture.
Today, the rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems of Europe and Central Asia are threatened by changes in land use and intensification in agricultural sectors.
In the context of the FAO Regional Initiative 3, “Managing natural resources sustainably and preserving biodiversity in a changing climate”, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia supports member countries in their efforts to reverse the loss and restore biodiversity and transition to more climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture and food systems.
To accelerate countries’ capacities and coordinate a collective effort, in 2021, FAO organized the first Regional Dialogue on Biodiversity Mainstreaming across Agricultural Sectors in Europe and Central Asia. It allowed the countries to discuss the international policy framework and global instruments for biodiversity mainstreaming, address the potential for collaborative actions and define the role of the FAO in Europe and Central Asia.
In 2022, to contribute to closing the knowledge gap on the role of biodiversity for food and agriculture and recognition of the interconnections among biodiversity loss, climate change, nutrition, food security and poverty, the FAO developed the Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture infographics, gives a definition of biodiversity for food and agriculture, indicates how the food system influences wild biodiversity, and shows the relationship between the SDGs and biodiversity.
The specific Regional Initiative will continue raising awareness and will launch the “Biodiversity in Action”, first in the series of brochures dedicated to the biodiversity for food and agriculture and the regional projects and initiatives that assist countries in reversing the loss of biodiversity while building resilience to climate change, part of the Biodiversity section of the newly launched Regional Technical Platform on Green Agriculture.
To strengthen the regional process of biodiversity mainstreaming and sharing knowledge among countries, in June FAO will organise the Regional Workshop dedicated to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Infographics on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
International Day for Biological Diversity – Key messages