Forest, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity

Photo: UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. Credit: United Nations

Action on Land Degradation Crucial to Averting the Worst Ravages of Climate Change

By Ibrahim Thiaw

UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Mr Ibrahim Thiaw, responds to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land.

BONN (IDN) — We have known for over 25 years that poor land use and management are major drivers of climate change, but have never mustered the political will to act. With the release of the IPCC special report on climate change and land, which makes the consequences of inaction crystal clear, we have no excuse for further delay.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 11 August 2021

Photo: Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar officially assumed the office of Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on August 1. Source: ICAO

A Colombian Replaces China's Dr. Liu as Head of UN's Civil Aviation Organization

By J C Suresh

TORONTO | MONTREAL (IDN) — Colombia's Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar officially assumed the office of Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on August 1, succeeding Dr. Fang Liu of China. Mr Salazar is the second to replace a Chinese as head of a UN specialized agency.

: J C Suresh; UN INSIDER; 01 August 2021

Image credit: Convention on Biological Diversity.

A New Global Biodiversity Framework Seeks to Bring 'Humanity in Harmony with Nature'

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has published the first official draft of a new global framework for biodiversity to guide actions to conserve and protect nature and its basic services to humans by 2030.

After more than two years of development, the draft will be further refined in late summer through online negotiations and submitted to its 196 Parties for consideration at COP15 in Kunming, China, from October 11 to 24.

: J Nastranis; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 25 July 2021

Photo: "We are learning how to manage our crops better,” say farmers Malvin Ortiz and Felipe Martínez, “and we are teaching our children how to do it, too.” Now, the future is looking more hopeful." Credit: Oxfam International

Latin America's Unique Biodiversity Can Help Boost Post-Covid Recovery

By Fermin Koop*

LONDON (IDN) — Protecting and restoring natural areas in Latin America, home to 50% of the planet’s biodiversity and over a quarter of its forests, could help the region achieve a ‘green’ post-pandemic recovery and meet biodiversity conservation targets, experts say. Doing so could even create thousands of jobs in key economic sectors such as agriculture.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 13 July 2021

Photo: Indigenous Juruna warrior from a village in the Brazilian Amazon reviewing his territory | Photo by Todd Southgate

Rivers Are Crucial for Restoring Biodiversity Worldwide

Viewpoint by Alessandra Korap Munduruku*, Darryl Knudsen** and Irikefe V. Dafe ***

This article was produced by Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

ITAITUBA, Brazil | OAKLAND, USA | ADDIS ABABA | Ethiopia (IDN) — In October 2021, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will meet in China to adopt a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework to reverse biodiversity loss and its impacts on ecosystems, species and people.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 22 May 2021

Photo: As our population grows, water accounting in agriculture is critical to increasing efficient use of water, growing more food per drop. ©FAO/Manan Vatsyayana

What Water Means to Human Life and Biological Resources

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*

COPENHAGEN (IDN) — I have attempted to explain the vital relationship between water and life in my new freely downloadable book, which can be circulated, from the link: http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Water-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf

Also, on its home page for World Water Day, commemorated on March 22 this year, the United Nations explains what water means to people, its true value and how we can better protect this vital resource.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Clean Water & Sanitation; 02 May 2021

Photo: Virtual One Planet Summit: Credit: First Channel of German TV

One Planet Summit on Biodiversity Pledges Action Commitments

By Jaya Ramachandran

PARIS (IDN) – The global health crisis of the COVID 19 came as a dramatic reminder of the importance of Nature for our daily lives and economies: biodiversity is our life insurance. Yet, the damage to ecosystems is unprecedented and will have major consequences on our lifestyles in the decades to come.

According to knowledgeable sources, reversing this trend is a major challenge for the coming decade. This global challenge requires concerted action at all levels (international, national, local) and by all actors (governments, international organizations, businesses, associations, citizens, etc.).

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 18 January 2021

Photo: Aberrahim is the caretaker at the Akrich nursery, the first of the High Atlas Foundation's fruit tree nurseries built on land lent in-kind by the Moroccan Jewish Community

High Atlas Foundation Grows Trees in Nurseries Built on Moroccan Jewish Community Land

By Yossef Ben-Meir, President, High Atlas Foundation

MARRAKECH (IDN) – On World Religion Day, January 17, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) celebrates its interfaith fruit tree nurseries, which are built on land lent in-kind by the Moroccan Jewish community and are enhancing livelihoods for Muslim farming families around Morocco. These nurseries champion the notion that Morocco’s multicultural past and present, and the preservation of it, should necessarily advance the sustainable development of the country by providing a tangible and vital pathway for the social and economic benefit of generations of Moroccans to come, said HAF in a media release.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 16 January 2021

Photo: Screenshot of UN Chief addressing the UN Open Summit on January 11. Source: France TV04 /YouTube

Humanity Needs to Take a Course That Does Not Conflict with Nature

By Kwame Buist

NEW YORK (IDN) – The process of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic offers the chance to change course and put humanity on a path which is not in conflict with nature, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said January 11, urging greater efforts by everyone to protect biodiversity and step up action to counter climate change.

Guterres was addressing world leaders at the virtual One Planet Summit hosted by France, which came in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled for November in Glasgow, Scotland.

: Phil Harris; UN INSIDER; 12 January 2021

Human Exploitation of the Biosphere Threatens Mass Extinction

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*

COPENHAGEN (IDN) – According to a recent United Nations report, more than a million species of plants and animals are currently threatened with extinction because of human activities. Rates of extinction today are as much as 1,000 times greater than the normal background rate.

As the greenhouse gas emissions of human society push the earth towards catastrophic climate change, rates of extinction in the biosphere will certainly become higher.