At the beginning of February, international conference on biodiversity titled “Getting the biodiversity targets right - working for sustainable development” was held in Trondheim, Norway. Experts from all over the world summarized the work done so far for the protection of biodiversity.
Lauri Klein, adviser on biological diversity at the Estonian Environment Information Centre of the Ministry of the Environment, also participated in the conference. “It was acknowledged at the conference that countries and nations have made efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity. However, this has not yielded the desired results. Main dangers to biodiversity are habitat destruction and fragmentation, changes in land use, excessive consumption of natural resources, uneconomical utilization of natural resources (e.g. overfishing), invasive alien species, pollution and climate change,” commented Klein.
The conference held in Norway was aimed at finding solutions how to reduce and stop harm done to nature before countless ecosystems have been altered irreversibly. “Conference participants emphasized the importance of biodiversity in solving issues related to both economic and climate change,” said Klein. One possible solution suggested was to set the conservation of biodiversity as one of the most important conditions to be taken into account in agriculture, fishing, energy or transport sectors. Quick action is needed to stop forest destruction, over-exploitation of natural resources and introduction of non-native species; whereas it was stressed that ecosystem services must also be valued from economic perspectives.
The same topic was also discussed at a conference held in Madrid at the end of January, focusing on protected areas and ecological networks. At the conference, Spain, presiding over the EU, ceremonially declared the year of biodiversity open, introducing Europe’s aims in conserving biodiversity. For example, one of the main targets is that the species and habitats of special European conservation interest should reach a favorable conservation status by 2020. Professor Mart Külvik from the Estonian University of Life Sciences was also present at the conference.
The biggest event of International Year of Biodiversity is the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) that is held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010. At this conference, international guidelines of biodiversity policy after 2010 will be established.
Estonia ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1994 and celebrates the International Year of Biodiversity together with the rest of the world. This year is also special for Estonian nature conservation, since it celebrates hundred years from the establishment of first protected area. Thus, the year 2010 is declared as Nature Conservation Year in Estonia and the Ministry of the Environment calls for valuing biodiversity around us. Read more: http://www.envir.ee/1111672.
Official website for the International Year of Biodiversity: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/ Website of Estonian Biodiversity Clearing-House Mechanism: http://btv.eelis.ee 100 years of nature conservation in Estonia: www.keskkonnaamet.ee/lk100
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(17-02-2010) |
