To celebrate natural diversity and spread awareness, May 22 is marked every year as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) globally. Earlier, December 29 was designated as the International Day for Biological Diversity but in 2000, the UN General Assembly chose May 22 to mark the day.
Every year, there is a theme or slogan that sets the tone of the campaign. The slogan for 2021 is "We're part of the solution". The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) announces the theme each year.
The CBD says that this year's theme is a continuation of the momentum generated last year through the slogan: "Our solutions are in nature", which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges.
It also underlined that biodiversity is the foundation upon which the world can build itself back better, adding the nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, all were possible if the biodiversity was better understood and take care of.
Since the world is still battling novel coronavirus pandemic, the campaign has been restricted to online posts. However, with billions of social media users, the reach of the messages is still vast. Speaking on the occasion, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, warned against the "unprecedented" and "alarming rate" at which the biodiversity is declining on our planet. "The choice to live sustainably must be made available to everyone, everywhere," he said in his video message, adding, "a healthy planet is critical for achieving sustainable development goals."
"We are depleting resources faster than nature can replenish them. COVID-19 has further reminded us of the intimate relationship between people and nature. The current crisis provides an opportunity to recover better," he said. Read more here>