RIYADH, 22 May 2006 — Preparations have been made across Saudi Arabia in observation of the International Day for Biological Diversity.
With an aim of increasing awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues globally the United Nations observes May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity since 2000.
Saudi Arabia is observing the day with over 150 UN member states by holding a variety of events. The day is marked under the theme of “Protecting Biodiversity in Drylands.”
Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Abdul Aziz Abu Zinada, secretary-general of the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development , said, “This year’s International Day for Biological Diversity marks the 16th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).”
Abu Zinada said the day was an opportunity for all to reflect on their responsibilities in safeguarding global heritage for future generations.
The convention states that biodiversity is not just about plants, animals, micro-organisms and their ecosystems, but also about humans and human needs of food, security, clean air and water and a healthy environment.
Since 1992 the CBD has attracted more than 150 signatories including The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which joined in 2002. Countries that sign the convention commit themselves to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in dry lands and work towards ensuring a fair distribution of genetic resources in these ecosystems.
Dr. Zinada highlighted the fact that Saudi Arabia has been a signatory to several international conventions including Convention of International Trade in Endangered Spieces, the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species and the Convention on Combating Desertification.
The NCWD is welcoming school children and students to come and visit The Environmental Awareness Center at its headquarters. Organizers say this is a brilliant opportunity for people to come and see the conservation efforts made by the Kingdom in protecting wildlife and the environment.
The Commission has also distributed leaflets and flyers to all of its branch offices throughout Saudi Arabia encouraging people to observe the day. Articles have been published in newspapers, magazines and the internet to increase awareness of biodiversity issues. Saudi television and radio are also featuring wildlife experts to relay the importance of the day.
ìThe commission is making every effort to protect the endangered animals and plant species in the Kingdom,î said Dr. Zinada, pointing out that its research centers in Taif, Thumamah and Al Qassim have taken responsibility of breeding a range of endangered Saudi Arabian species including Arabian leopards, oryxes, gazelles and ostriches. ìIf it were not for the efforts of the commission, these species would have become extinct,î he noted, saying that there was a program of setting animals bred in captivity into the wild.
Saudi Arabia was also chosen by the UN as a Thematic Center for the management of protected areas. 16 areas in the Kingdom have been designated to be protected including the world’s second largest fenced reserve at the Mahzat As Sayd area in Taif.
“Almost half of the land surface of the earth is dry if we include grasslands and all arid regions,” Executive Secretary of the Convention of Biological Diversity Ahmed Djoghlaf said in a statement issued yesterday. Adding that “one in six people depend on these fragile ecosystems for their survival” and that “these are the poorest of the poor and any further degradation of the biodiversity of dry lands will lead to increased poverty.”
Biodiversity in these ecosystems is under threat from a variety of human activities. The transformation of habitats for human use, mostly agricultural, and increases in overexploitation, including overgrazing, has led to the degradation of up to 20 percent of dry lands and ecosystems. Analysts say that such changes in the environment has resulted in desertification and drought, endangerment of 2,311 species, loss of over 40 billion dollars a year in lost agricultural production and the resulting rise of social, economic, and political tensions.
