International Day for Biological Diversity marked today Friday, May 22, 2020
On the Theme “Our Solutions are in Nature.”
The UN has proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity.
Globally, around 25% of all animal and plant species are threatened with extinction.
This year the International Day for Biological Diversity is targeted towards raising awareness and building momentum on the importance of biodiversity as well as global issues on biodiversity loss, in the lead up to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference.
A statement issued By Prof Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Department of Plant and Environmental Biology,
University of Ghana, LEGON said “It has been established (IPBES 2019) that rampant deforestation,
uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, intensive farming, mining, and urban infrastructure development,
as well as the exploitation of wild species, have created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people, now sadly evidenced in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
It has also been established in the IPBES (2019) study that human actions have significantly impacted more than three-quarters of the Earth’s land surface,
destroyed more than 85% of wetlands and dedicated more than a third of all land and almost 75% of available freshwater to crops and livestock production.
“It is obvious that there are lessons to take on board. Ghana should learn fast from other nations that are respecting their natural and wilderness areas. Such areas that have an international stamp on them and recognized as Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBA) or Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) should be left alone to continue their ecosystem development and create the conditions for sustained ecosystem services that support human life. The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is in this category and must be promoted, protected, and respected for the benefit of present and future generations.”
