KULOB, May 22, Asia-Plus — A republican conference formally titled “Biological Diversity and Agriculture” was held in Kulob today to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.
The conference, staged by the Center for genetic Resources, Kulob Botanical Gardens and NGO Hamkori bahri Taraqqiyot (Cooperation for Development), discussed issues related to development of ecologically sustainable economy and rational use of land resources.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Ms. Muhabbat Mamadaliyeva, the chairperson of the NGO Zan va Zamin (Woman and Earth), noted, “Celebration of the Biodiversity Day this year reflects significant importance of development of ecologically sustainable economy that will preserve the biological diversity and ensure provision of food security.”
The Hamkori va Taraqqiyot head Qurbonali Partoyev noted that irrational use of lands leads to “degradation of soil and decrease in the number of living organisms that depend on it.” According to him, all this is the reason for expansion by agriculture of “virgin places of wilderness.”
Activities of both Zan va Zamin and Hamkori bahri Taraqqiyot are funded by the Christiansen Foundation (the United States).
The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a UN-sanctioned international holiday for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently held on May 22.
From its creation by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1993 until 2000, it was held on December 9 to celebrate the day the Convention on Biological Diversity went into effect. In December 2000, the date was shifted to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on May 22, 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, and partly to avoid the many other holidays that occur in late December.
Biodiversity can help to reduce the effects of climate change on the world’s population and ecosystems. Indeed, the links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways: biodiversity is threatened by climate change, but biodiversity resources can reduce the impacts of climate change. It is therefore crucial to conserve biodiversity that is especially sensitive to climate change, preserve habitats so as to facilitate the long-term adaptation of biodiversity, improve our understanding of climate change and biodiversity linkages, and fully integrate biodiversity considerations into mitigation and adaptation plans. If the threats of biodiversity loss and climate change are tackled together, the prospects for adapting successfully to the challenges of the coming decades will be very much improved. This constitutes the overall message for this year’s celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity.
