Water is the wellspring of life on planet Earth and is essential for the survival of every species. This year, the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) is celebrated worldwide with the theme “Water and Biodiversity.” The choice of this year’s theme is influenced by another UN directive. The United Nations has also designated 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation.
In his statement Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has renewed an appeal to the international community to continue working towards securing water resources.
The UN Convention of Biological Diversity
In 1992, 153 countries signed the Convention of Biological Diversity in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The 29th of December was originally designated as IDB, the day marked every year from 1993 up to 2000 in order to increase awareness of pertinent biodiversity issues. In December 2000 the UN General Assembly has designated May 22 as IDB instead, coinciding with the date of the Earth Summit held in Rio on May 22, 1992.
The theme differs every year. Last year, the IDB 2012 theme was Marine Diversity. The year before that, the theme chosen was Forest Diversity.
Water and biodiversity
The world is faced with pressing issues on water quality and the availability of water resources. This day is meant to reiterate the “importance of water to sustainable development.” The living elements of the biosphere all contribute to making clean water available for human consumption. In turn, water is required by all forms of life on Earth to survive. Water is “key to biodiversity.”
Moreover, water and biodiversity are intimately linked. Water supports biodiversity and without water to sustain species, biodiversity losses increase exponentially. Biodiversity in turn plays a critical but often under-acknowledged role in maintaining the quantity and quality of water, and the water cycle itself. According to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, biodiversity and cultural diversity are equally “crucial to the living world” and the ability of humankind to safeguard both will determine the kind of future that we have waiting for us.
Biodiversity
The term, “biodiversity” refers to the variety of life on the planet. The diversity of life pertains to the variety of animals, plants, and microorganisms. Biodiversity also connotes genetic inter-species differences and ethnic differences amongst humans.
The total number of living species identified so far is 1.75 million. However, the popular belief amongst biologists is that the diversity of life on Earth could reach 13 million species. The complex web of life on the planet has contributed much to its uniqueness.
The huge numbers of species that populate the many different ecosystems on Earth have resulted from an evolutionary process that took million of years. Evolution used to be shaped mainly by natural phenomenon. But in the modern era, human activities are playing a huge role in the process. Humans are part of the web and we are as dependent on every component as all other life forms are to each other. For this reason, human communities the world over are compelled to realize that protecting biodiversity needs to be forefront in our priority. The very fabric of human civilization is intertwined with the diversity of life on Earth.
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