International Day for Biological Diversity 22 May 2022: Building a shared future for all life
International Day for Biological Diversity 2022 is being celebrated under the theme: Building a shared future for all life.
This slogan is very fitting as the 1972 World Heritage Convention celebrates its 50th anniversary and we reflect on the next 50 years of the Convention and its shared future for all life.
It follows the 50th anniversary of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme created in 1971 with a vision to promote a sustainable connection between people and nature. A growing number of protected or conserved areas are designated both as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage sites.
The theme also fits into the context of the ongoing United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which highlights the crucial role of biodiversity in addressing several sustainable development challenges. From ecosystem-based approaches to climate and nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food-water security and sustainable livelihoods: biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better for future generations.
The World Heritage Convention recognizes some UNESCO World Heritage sites specifically for their outstanding biodiversity values, protecting many of the most important ecosystems and areas of high biodiversity on Earth. The World Heritage Convention ensures global commitment for the conservation of these exceptional places, while respecting their cultural and local connections.
Read our World Heritage Review issue on Biodiversity to learn more about the Convention’s biodiversity implementation. In this issue, we focus on crucial biodiversity areas such as: the 67 million ha site of the French Austral Lands and Seas (France) and Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon), which has the triple status of wildlife reserve, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage site. We discover the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China, and we have an in-depth interview with renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.
As we celebrate the successes of the World Heritage Convention in its 50th anniversary year, we must also use this period to reflect on the ways in which we can address the challenges of its implementation in the future. It is clear that if we do not reverse biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and address the causes of climate change, the world could see unprecedented changes irreversibly affecting our planet and World Heritage.
Take this online natural World Heritage quiz to learn more about biodiversity in sites:
https://bit.ly/nh-quiz-2022
VIDEO: UNESCO Natural World Heritage sites