Momentum is building for a ‘robust’ biodiversity framework: Q&A with Elizabeth Mrema
One of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to rally global ambition for a biodiversity framework that sets the world on a path to a sustainable future, says Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.
Mrema, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), says there’s growing awareness of the importance of biodiversity for everything from food security to the regulation of water and air quality, to pest and disease regulation.
“World leaders fully recognize that the continued deterioration and degradation of Earth’s natural ecosystems are having major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people around the world,” she says.
FAO-hosted Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity kicks off
20 April 2021, Rome - The Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) kicked off yesterday with a call to preserve this vast community of living soil organisms and the vital ecosystem services they provide.
Soils are one of the main global reservoirs of biodiversity. They host more than 25 percent of the world s supply of this valued resource from where 95 percent of the food we eat is produced. In addition, more than 40 percent of living organisms in terrestrial ecosystems are connected with soils during their life cycle.
Giving a voice to soil organisms - our silent allies in fight against hunger miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
97% of Earth’s land area may no longer be ecologically intact
Only between 2% and 3% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface can be considered ecologically intact, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
This percentage is drastically lower than past assessments, which estimated it to be between 20% and 40%, because it factored in loss of species from intact habitat as well as reduced populations of species. The findings show however that a focus of restoration of specific species in intact habitat could recover ecological integrity to about 20% of land.
More than 30 years ago, wilderness areas – natural areas that have not been considerably modified by humans – were identified as priorities of conservation and protection actions. Only recently has there been a push to define how to measure wilderness, with a focus on intact habitats. The integrity of natural ecosystems has also been recognized by the UN Convent
FAO will hold Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity
FAO will hold Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity
Rome, Apr 19 (Prensa Latina) The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will hold via videoconference the Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity (GSOBI21), from today until next Thursday.
The UN agency will host the event, organized in conjunction with its Global Soil Partnership and the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils.
The UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Initiative on Soil Biodiversity and the Science-Policy Interface of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification are also involved.
The meeting will bring together government officials, international organizations, land users, and experts in soil science and biodiversity.