This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
May 22, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a standstill, but it has also highlighted the interconnectedness of human health and the natural world. This year's International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated on May 22, serves as a call to action for individuals and organizations to work together to preserve biodiversity and restore the natural world.
Unlike previous years, the International Day for Biological Diversity was marked with digital platforms and virtual media interviews, as individuals and organizations avoided public gatherings to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The theme of this year's celebration, 'Our Solutions are in Nature,' emphasizes the need to re-examine our relationship with the natural world and appreciate the ecosystems services that nature provides for free.
Scientists emphasized that the time to reflect and re-examine our relationship with the natural world is now. 'Nature is Kenya's lifeline because our country is mostly reliant on nature-based sectors like agriculture, fishing and horticulture,' said Jackson Kiplagat, Regional Sustainable Investments Expert at World Wide Fund for Nature-Kenya (WWF-Kenya). 'As we develop, we must make sure that we safeguard nature.'
UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the need to work together to preserve biodiversity in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we 'seek to build back better from the current crisis.' He emphasized that 'Covid-19 – which emanated from the wild – has shown how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world.'
