biodiversity – Page 4

Where food begins [Infographic]

October 30October 29Posted in Food, Garden & NatureTagged agriculture, awareness, biodiversity, disasters, ecosystem, fao, food, fue, infographic, natural, resource, soil, Waste, water, world soil day, year of soilsLeave a comment

by FAO
(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)

Healthy soils are critical for global food production, but we are not paying enough attention to this important “silent ally,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said on the eve of World Soil Day, to be celebrated on 5 December.

Healthy soils not only are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and medical products, but also are essential to our ecosystems, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts, he noted.

The UN has declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. Help raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource. Related links: http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/en/

Environmental Dates: International Day for Biological Diversity

May 22May 24Posted in Environmental datesTagged awareness, biodiversity, biological, development, diversity, environmental, idb, international day, issues, may 22, sustainable, united nationsLeave a comment

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partly done because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

This year’s theme reflects the importance of efforts made at all levels to establish a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda for the period of 2015-2030 and the relevance of biodiversity for the achievement of sustainable development.The selection of the theme also underlines the adoption of the Gangwon Declaration, by ministers and participants to the High-level Segment of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Gangwon Declaration welcomed the importance given to biodiversity in the outcome document of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and called for the further integration and mainstreaming of biodiversity in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Source: Convention of Biological Diversity

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How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Backyard [Infographic]

May 21May 28Posted in Garden & NatureTagged backyard, biodiversity, ecosystem, environmental, extinction, garden, gardening, how to, infographic, species, urban, urbanization, wildlifeLeave a comment

Click to Enlarge Image

Infographic by CustomMade

Today’s environmental news is often alarming, especially the warnings that biodiversity, a term used to describe the immense variety of life on Earth, is under siege. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warns nearly one third of known species are threatened with extinction, including 41 percent of amphibians, 26 percent of mammals, and 13 percent of birds.

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of such dire statistics, especially because many scientists call biodiversity our life support system. Humans rely on healthy ecosystems to:

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Environmental Dates: World Sparrow Day

March 20March 29Posted in Environmental dates, Man & NatureTagged appreciate, awareness, biodiversity, bird, celebrate, conservation, day, destruction, dissappearing, environment, extinction, food, habitat, insect, mistery, nature, passer domesticus, sparrow, species, worldLeave a comment

The diminutive house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is perhaps one of the earliest birds you can remember from your childhood. Their nests dotted almost every house in the neighbourhood as well as public places like bus bays and railway stations, where they lived in colonies and survived on food grains and tiny worms. Many bird watchers and ornithologists recall with fondness how the house sparrow gave flight to their passion for observing birds. The association between humans and the house sparrow dates back to several centuries and no other bird has been associated with humans on a daily basis like the house sparrow. It is a bird that evokes fond memories and has thus found mention in folklore and songs from time immemorial.

Unfortunately, the house sparrow is now a disappearing species. But like all other plants and animals which were once abundant and are now facing an uncertain future, their numbers are also declining across their natural range. The reasons? Certainly, there is no one single reason for the decline of house sparrow. Its slow but noticeable disappearance has been labeled as one of the biggest mysteries of recent times. A leading newspaper in the United Kingdom – a country that has witnessed one of the biggest declines of the house sparrow population in recent times – declared a cash prize to anyone who could solve the mystery. Needless to add, the reward lies unclaimed.

The house sparrow is believed to be declining for various reasons ranging from the destruction of its habitat to lack of insect food for the young and even the increasing microwave pollution from mobile phone towers.

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