TCI: DECR Commemorates International Day of Biological Diversity

#TurksandCaicos, May 24, 2021 – The Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) is excited to commemorate International Day of Biological Diversity, hosted annually on 22 May, by participating in the United Nations Environmental Program’s ‘Restoration Begins with Me’ Campaign. And you can too!

The campaign ‘Restoration Begins with Me’ invites you to submit a photograph or a short video of an activity that shows how you value plants, trees or forests, and what they mean to you.

The United Nations (UN) has declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, in a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world. Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future.

People across the Wider Caribbean are invited to submit a photograph with a short description, or a short video, of an activity such as tree planting or caring, or anything associated with such an activity that shows how they value plants, trees, forests, mangroves and what they mean to them. Accompanying descriptions should be no longer than 200 words and can be made in English, Spanish or French.

The campaign, launched on the International Day of Forests (IDF) under the theme “Restoration Begins With Me”, will culminate on World Environment Day (WED), when the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be formally launched.

The objectives of the campaign are to:

·       Raise awareness of the value of ecosystem restoration, the value of trees and forests, their contributions to ecosystem health and human wellbeing;

·       Introduce the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, sources of information, its significance and tips on how individuals can take action to join this global conservation effort;

·       Stimulate engagement and discussion on social media related to ecosystem restoration and biodiversity;

·       Increase knowledge of the work of the UN. 

Photos and videos were accepted up to May 17.

The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues, and falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals. In this larger initiative of international cooperation, the topic of biodiversity concerns stakeholders in sustainable agriculture; desertification, land degradation and drought; water and sanitation; health and sustainable development; energy; science, technology and innovation, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building; urban resilience and adaptation; sustainable transport; climate change and disaster risk reduction; oceans and seas; forests; vulnerable groups including indigenous peoples; and food security. The critical role of biodiversity in sustainable development was recognized in a Rio+20 outcome document, “The World We Want: A Future for All”.