International Day for Biological Diversity 2024 is on Wednesday, May 22, 2024: when international bio diversity day is observed?

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 is International Day for Biological Diversity 2024. The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues.

on Biological Diversity,

The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues.

when international bio diversity day is observed?

The United Nations 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.

My Topic: Vanishing Bio Diversity in India?

My Topic: Vanishing Bio Diversity in India?

India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast array of biological diversity. The Western Ghats and North East India is recognised as an international biodiversity hotspot. It has been estimated that over 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000 species of flora are found in this country so far. Of the estimated 47,000 plant species, about 15,000 flowering species are endemic to India. The relationship between local communities and the biological diversity in India is a very intricate one, whereby two-thirds of our population are heavily dependent upon the biodiversity for their survival. The destruction of biodiversity signifies the destruction of people’s livelihoods and survival.

At present, around the world, at least three species a day are being depleted, or 1,200 species every 400 days. At the current rates of extinction, a quarter of the world’s known and identified species (over 400,000) will have vanished by the end of this century - thats only three years away.

Among the larger animals in India, 79 species of mammals, 44 of birds, 15 of reptiles, and three of amphibians are threatened. Nearly 1500 plant species are considered endangered. Flowering plants and vertebrate animals have recently become extinct at a rate estimated at 50 to 100 times the average expected natural rate. The loss of even one species causes changes that are complex, unpredictable and incomprehensible.

Source: FAO, 1996

According to the FAO, replacement of local varieties forms the largest contribution to biodiversity erosion. Replacement of local varieties by a select number of high yielding hybrid varieties (mono-cropping) has been vigorously promoted under the Green Revolution during the 1960s in order to increase production of food crops. In India, monocropping has resulted in the vast depletion of indigenous species of flora and fauna. Despite being challenged by eminent scientists around the world, the Green Revolution’s tenets continue to influence agriculture in the developing countries today.

Most Indians live in a biodiversity based economy. Therefore, biodiversity and indigenous knowledge are central to the economic security and subsequently, the national security of our country.

Biopiracy refers to the process by which the rights of indigenous cultures to these resources and knowledge are erased and replaced by monopoly rights for those who have exploited indigenous knowledge and biodiversity.

Biopiracy is occurring through the claiming of IPRs [intellectual property rights] by TNCs, [transnational corporations] who are making billions of dollars by usurping our traditional knowledge systems and genetic resources from the domain of the commons.

IPRs regimes only recognise and provide protection to formal innovators, not to indigenous informal innovators. Therefore, traditional knowledge evolved and utilised by informal innovators is being pirated by formal innovators, who perform mere translations and minor modifications and then seek patents, claiming the knowledge as well as life forms as their private property.

Most biodiversity related intellectual property rights are either the enclosure of non-western traditions of science (for example; neem, turmeric, and phyllanthus niruri) or the enclosure of the intellectual commons of contemporary western traditions of science.

Biopiracy through IPRs has arisen as a result of the devaluation and invisibility of indigenous knowledge systems and the lack of existing protection of these systems.

The protection of indigenous knowledge systems as systems of innovation and the prevention of piracy of biodiversity requires a widening of legal regimes beyond the existing IPR regimes such as patents.

Is there a world biodiversity day or month? If so, when?

Is there a world biodiversity day or month? If so, when?

Not sure about a world wide event, but I know that in Australia, September is Biodiversity month.

Ireland and Scotland had a biodiversity week in May of this year.

There was also a Biodiversity month in May 2002 for the USA, but I cannot find any record of a similar event after that.

But - hoorray - there seems to be an International DAY for Biological Diversity, held on May 22. It is only a day, but it counts, doesn't it?

Here is the link:

Holidays also on this date Wednesday, May 22, 2024...