International Day for Biological Diversity 2014

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Every May 22, as mandated by the United Nations, Biodiversity Day is celebrated on the planet to raise awareness and inform States about the importance of this issue. This 2014 the chosen theme is "Island Biodiversity"....

Every May 22, as mandated by the United Nations, Biodiversity Day is celebrated on the planet to raise awareness and inform States about the importance of this issue. This 2014 the chosen theme is "Island Biodiversity"....

This is how the organization’s official website puts it:

"Islands are home to nearly 600 million people, one-tenth of the world’s population. Many islanders have unique cultures and much of their economic, environmental and cultural well-being comes directly or indirectly from the rich natural resources of their immediate environment. Islands are home to numerous discrete ecosystems, from mountain forests to wetlands and many others, which provide food, fresh water, timber, fiber, medicines, fuel, tools and other raw materials, as well as aesthetic, spiritual, educational and recreational values that support island livelihoods, economies and cultures. Island ecosystems also contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem functions: they provide a defense against natural disasters, support nutrient cycling and soil and sand formation, and contribute to climate and disease regulation.

It is true that the same could be said of biodiversity elsewhere, but the components of biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide are the islands’ most crucial asset. Their economies, especially those of small island developing states, are among the most vulnerable in developing countries, considering the relative lack of economic alternatives available for factors such as:

-small populations and economies;
-weak institutional capacity in both the theturtlefoundation and private sectors;
-remote from international markets; -susceptibility to international financial crises
-susceptibility to natural disasters and climate change (including in particular sea level rise due to climate change);
-fragility of terrestrial and marine ecosystems;
-High transportation costs;
-limited diversification of production and exports;
-dependence on international markets, export concentration, and income volatility;
-vulnerability to exogenous economic shocks.

These challenges and vulnerabilities led Agenda 21 (Chapter 17, Section G; 1992), which was followed by the Barbados Programme of Action (1994) and the Plan of Implementation of the Earth Summit on Sustainable Development (2002), to consider small island states and islands in which small communities live as "a special case for both the environment and development".

For example, biological diversity is a crucial component of food security in many small, isolated islands and especially in small island developing states. Small islands have a high proportion of marine and coastal regions, which are an important source of income. The continental shelf and coastal ecosystems of many small island developing States are of fundamental economic relevance for settlement, subsistence and commercial agriculture, fisheries and tourism. Coastal ecosystems also serve many ecological roles, ranging from coastal protection, to buffer zones for land-based activities and pollution, to feeding, breeding and nursery grounds for many marine species. Coral reefs generate approximately $375 billion in goods and services worldwide. This includes supporting marine fisheries, which are the main source of protein for many island populations, especially in small island developing states.

However, biodiversity is not only of vital importance to island dwellers. Islands are repositories of genetic information, whose present biological diversity still stands as a record of millions of years of evolution. Biological diversity is of inherent value to humankind worldwide.

What is Biodiversity?

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the term that refers to the wide variety of living things on Earth and the natural patterns they form. The biological diversity we observe today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by human influence. This diversity forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and on which we are so dependent.

Diversity is often understood as the wide variety of existing plants, animals and microorganisms. To date, some 1.75 million species have been identified, mostly small creatures such as insects. Scientists acknowledge that there are actually about 13 million species, although estimates vary between 3 and 100 million.

Biological diversity also includes genetic differences within each species and the variety of ecosystems such as those found in deserts, forests, wetlands, mountains, lakes, rivers, and agricultural landscapes. Humans are included in the concept because they form a community that interacts with each other and their environment, as well as with the air, water, and soil around them.

It is this combination of life forms and their interactions with each other and with the rest of the environment that has made the Earth a habitable and unique place for humans. Biological diversity offers a great number of goods and services that sustain our lives.

From La Tortuga Foundation we invite all those who are concerned about true sustainable development to join us in the campaign to protect La Tortuga Island, epicenter of the most recent biological characterization studies that we have been conducting thanks to our scientific research team. Currently, the island is threatened by the construction of a tourist development that puts at risk its high fragility.

The campaign can be followed through social networks:

- Facebook: La Tortuga Foundation

- Twitter: @fundatortuga

Sources consulted: www.un.org (Official website of the United Nations)