International Day For Biological Diversity 2023:
The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), celebrated on 22nd May 2023, raises awareness about the importance of biodiversity for sustaining life on Earth.
- The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services highlights the risk of extinction for around one million species.
- To address the biodiversity crisis, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity
- This framework sets ambitious targets for 2030 and provides a roadmap for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity.
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1993 proclaimed 22nd May as IDB to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
- The UNGA also declared the period 2011-2020 as the United Nations (UN) Decade on Biodiversity to promote the implementation of a strategic plan on biodiversity and its overall vision of living in harmony with nature.
- It also declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
- The theme for 2023 is “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity”, which signifies the pressing requirement to go beyond mere commitments and transform them into concrete actions aimed at revitalizing and safeguarding biodiversity.
