“Every year… we celebrate the beauty and wonder of the wildlife on our planet,” reminds Secretary General António Guterresdescribes the day as an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and diverse forms of wildlife and flora and “to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits their conservation offers to mankind”.
Our link with nature
Beyond the moral duty to sustain the Earth, Mr. Guterres reminded that “humanity depends on the essential products and services that nature provides, from food and fresh water to pollution control and storage.” carbon”.
“By spoiling the natural world, we threaten our own happiness‘ he added.
Today, around the world, wildlife is in danger as a quarter of species face extinction – largely because we have destroyed almost half of the ecosystems in which they live. living.
We must act now to reverse this trend.
© BES / Joshua F. Goldberg
Honoring nature
Animals and plants that live in the wild have intrinsic value and contribute to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of man. – and for sustainable development.
And people have to realize”the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and reduce the number of human-caused species,“I said.
Noting “widespread economic, environmental and social impacts”, Mr. Guterres draws attention Sustainable development goal 15focus on preventing biodiversity loss.
“Let us remind ourselves of our duty to preserve and sustainably use the multitude of life on the planet. Let us foster a more caring, caring and sustainable relationship with nature,” he speak.
Attention Ecosystem
This year’s date also emphasizes the importance of UN Decade for Ecosystem Restorationwas started last year and runs until 2030.
Ecosystems are only healthy when their component species thrive.
If just one key species disappears, entire ecosystems can begin to decline and die, which is why actions to protect individual species must go hand in hand with restoring entire ecosystems. .
