2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity (国際生物多様性年) and in October around 7,000 UN officials, NGOs, and governmental officials from around the world will be in the City of Nagoya for the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (COP 10).
You are biodiversity. Most of the oxygen you breathe comes from plankton in the oceans of the world and lush forests around the globe. The fruit and vegetables you eat were likely pollinated by bees, and the water you drink is part of a huge global cycle involving
you, clouds, rainfall, glaciers, rivers and oceans. Your diet depends almost entirely on the plants and animals around us, from the grasses that give us rice and wheat, to the fish and meat from both wild and farmed landscapes. Your body contains up to 100
trillion cells and is connected with everything around you and the wider world in a wonderfully complex and timeless system. You share your atoms with every being and object in the natural world, you are both ancient and inconceivably young. Biodiversity is life,
your life is biodiversity and biodiversity is you.
You share the planet with as many as 13 million different living species including plants, animals and bacteria, only 1.75 million of which have been named and recorded. This incredible natural wealth is a priceless treasure that forms the ultimate foundation of
our human wellbeing. The systems and processes these millions of neighbours collectively provide produce your food, water and the air you breathe – the basic fundamentals of life.
As if that was not enough they also supply you with timber and plant materials for furniture, building and fuel, the mechanisms that regulate your climate, control floods and recycle your waste and the novel compounds and chemicals from which medicines are made.
You may take biodiversity so much for granted, and it is so obviously all around you, that it is sometimes easy to forget it’s there - that you are a part of it and can’t live apart from it.
Biodiversity’s contribution to your life is not just practical, physical and utilitarian, it is also cultural. The diversity of the natural world has been a constant source of inspiration throughout human history, influencing traditions, the way our society has
evolved and supplying the basic goods and services upon which trade and the economy is built. The disappearance of unique species is a loss that cannot be calculated and leaves us all much poorer. The loss of iconic and symbolic species is not only a cultural
tragedy; it also undermines our own survival. The beautiful, bountiful diversity of the natural world is being damaged as a result of human activities. Felling or burning of forests, removal of mangroves, intensive farming, pollution stress, overfishing and the
impacts of climate change are all destroying biodiversity.
We can stop this loss, the question is will we? The International Year of Biodiversity is our chance to prove we will.
Photo: NIC Photo Contest Summer 2008 entry by Jann Vendetti
For further information visit the Convention on Biological Diversity website at www.cbd.int
Have Your Say - the Aichi/Nagoya International E-Conference (ANIEC 2010)
Have your say on biodiversity. Join the online discussion forum and post your comments and answers to these 5 questions. www.cbd.int/aniec2010
1) What does biodiversity mean to you?
2) Do you think that biodiversity is important and why?
3) Do you think that climate change is a threat to biodiversity? If so, what should be done?
4) What will be your message to the Heads of States meeting on biodiversity on 20 September 2010 in New York and to the delegates to COP 10?
5) What should be done to ensure the success of COP 10?
The outputs of the resulting discussion will be summarized and presented to the high level segment of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. As well, a side event will be organized during the COP 10 in Nagoya by the president to present the results of
the e-conference for the delegates
You will need to sign up for an account before you can participate. Participate at www.cbd.int/aniec2010
Language Volunteers Wanted! Do Your Part for Biodiversity.
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and from October 6 to October 29 around 7,000 UN officials, NGOs, and governmental officials from around the world will be in the City of Nagoya for the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10). With so many people converging on the city the conference organizers are looking for 800+ volunteers to assist with the running of the conference.
Bilingual volunteers that can converse in both Japanese and another foreign language are needed. If you are a native level speaker of English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, or another foreign language and have good Japanese skills the COP 10 needs
YOU!
When: A large number of volunteers will be needed on October 23 (Sat) & 24 (Sun), but even if you are free just on weekends, weekday mornings, afternoons, or only on certain days of the week your help is still needed. Hours: Depending upon the task required volunteers are needed 4 to 10 hours a day between 07:00 and 22:00. Where: Volunteers will be needed at the Nagoya International Conference Center near Kanayama, at Moricoro Park in Nagakute, and at major transport links (Nagoya, Sakae, Kanayama, Fujigaoka, and Chubu International Airport).
How to Apply: The first volunteer application period ends on Monday, March 8, but the second volunteer application period will run from April until June.
A PDF printer-friendly application form is available from the Nagoya International Center 3F pamphlet boxes and online from the COP 10 website volunteer site: http://bit.ly/cop10volunteer
You can also apply online via a PC or mobile phone; the application form is in Japanese.
Have Your Say - the Aichi/Nagoya International E-Conference (ANIEC 2010)
