Today, Barbados joins with the rest of the world in celebrating International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB)—or Biodiversity Day for short—under the theme “Our Solutions are in Nature“.
The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
As party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since 1993, Barbados has hosted a number of activities to celebrate this day over the years. However, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Section was unable to host any in-person events to commemorate this IDB 2020.
But the day did not go unacknowledged.
The Biodiversity Conservation and Management Section joined with CARICOM Secretariat and the OECS Commission to commemorate IDB 2020 with a virtual event entitled “The Way Forward for the Caribbean In Shaping A Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Confirmation“. The meeting was opened by Dr. Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development, CARICOM Secretariat and had presentations by three dynamic and knowledgeable champions of environmental stewardship in the Caribbean.
Dr. Patrick Chesney spoke on the importance of biodiversity to agriculture, and the importance of agricultural biodiversity conservation and management to proper environmental governance.
Dr. Thérèse Yarde spoke on the importance of the Post-2020 Gobal Biodiversity Framework negotiation process and how best Small Island Developing States (SIDS) can shape this global framework to promote global conservation efforts which are in line with national, sub-regional and regional contexts.
Dr. Spencer Thomas spoke on the importance of the synergies between biodiversity conservation and climate change actions, both in terms of adaptation and mitigation.
So, as the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Section and the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification join with the rest of the Caribbean and the World to celebrate another successful International Day for Biological Diversity, we invite you to view our previously completed activities.
How is the Covid-19 pandemic affecting biodiversity? Humans are dramatically being impacted. But does this necessarily indicate that the balance is simultaneously tipped to the remainder of the biosphere, which we over-dominate under ‘normal’ conditions? Human population will hardly experience a blip, and behaviors are likely to resume ‘normality’ once the Covid-19 pandemic is past. Or have human behaviors permanently changed?