Our planet Earth is home to an estimated 8.7 million known species, but one million are on the verge of disappearing, according to the United Nations Environment Program.
Ecosystem destruction driven by short-term interests leads to the unsustainable use of the natural world.
Since the United Nations designated May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2000, awareness of biodiversity issues has grown. Yet, the planet has experienced rapid degradation of its ecosystems.
One million species are at risk of extinction, and human activity has significantly altered 75 percent of land ecosystems and two-thirds of marine environments.
In a powerful statement for this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the urgent need to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark agreement aimed at halting and reversing nature loss by 2030.
This task will not be easy.
Approximately three billion people rely on fish for 20 percent of their animal protein intake, and 80 percent of rural populations in developing countries depend on plant-based medicine.
Additionally, destroying natural habitats increases the risk of zoonotic diseases, making biodiversity preservation crucial for global health.
For instance, a paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 17, 2019, highlighted the reemergence of human monkeypox in Sierra Leone after a 44-year absence.
This year’s theme underscores the importance of living in harmony with nature and pursuing sustainable development as a path to a better world for everyone.
Guterres pointed out that progress toward eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be jeopardized if current trends continue.
This includes delivering national biodiversity action plans, increasing financing for conservation, eliminating harmful subsidies, and supporting local communities, Indigenous Peoples, women, and youth.
Biodiversity is essential for food security, livelihoods, health, and climate resilience.
Guterres stressed that no country, “however rich or powerful,” can resolve the biodiversity crisis in isolation or thrive without the ecological richness that sustains life on Earth.
He stated that biodiversity is the foundation of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development.
Yet humanity is destroying this biodiversity at an alarming rate due to pollution, the climate crisis, ecosystem destruction, and an overarching focus on short-term interests that promote the unsustainable exploitation of our natural resources.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said Biodiversity Day reminds us how much humanity depends on biodiversity. From food and clean air to water, medicines, and climate regulation, biodiversity connects us all and sustains our very foundation of life.
Andersen previously served as director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Biodiversity is the web of life that connects us all & the foundation of our well-being.
Yet our biodiversity is in crisis.
The Global Biodiversity Framework is the world’s blueprint to halt & reverse the nature crisis.
22 May is #BiodiversityDay.
— UN Environment Programme (@UNEP) May 22, 2025
Today is International Day for Biological Diversity #BiodiversityDay: a celebration of the foundation of all life on Earth.
This year influential voices have joined our campaign, calling for harmony with nature and sustainable development:
Thank you pic.twitter.com/7MqYHjQfhu
— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) May 22, 2025
Message from @andersen_inger, Executive Director of @UNEP:
"#BiodiversityDay reminds us how much humanity depends on biodiversity. From food and clean air to water, medicines, and climate regulation, biodiversity connects us all and sustains our very foundation of life. " pic.twitter.com/1wEVl8kUZp
— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) May 22, 2025
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