International day for biodiversity 2002

The United Nations is celebrating the 2002 International Day for Biological Diversity today by highlighting the importance of forest biodiversity to the global environment and to human well-being. In August of this year (2002), the World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Convention on Biological Diversity will figure prominently among its concerns and areas of decision. Recently, in a speech delivered at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Secretary General of the United Nations declared biodiversity one of the five key areas where concrete results can and must be obtained. Clearly many nations are making commendable efforts to adhere to the principles contained in the Convention. Still, the threats to species and ecosystems remain ominous and extinctions caused by human activities continue at an alarming rate. This 10th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity is a good opportunity to reflect on ways to achieve a balance between consumption and conservation, between present needs and future well-being. The conservation of biological diversity is a common concern of humankind and an essential feature of the transition to sustainable development.