This World Environment’s Day 2020 theme is “celebrate biodiversity”. All living things on Earth
are connected in the web of life. Life is the most unique feature on the planet earth, and the most
significant feature of life is its diversity. Biodiversity is a composition of two words, bio meaning
life and diversity meaning variety which connotes the existence of different species of plant and
animals in the environment.
Biodiversity as a concept has no acceptable definition, according to United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity in (2020) defines Biological diversity as the variability among living
organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems
and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species,
between species and of ecosystems.” Also according to Green Facts (2019) holds that Biodiversity
is a contraction of biological diversity. Biodiversity reflects the number, variety and variability of
living organisms. Biodiversity underpins life on earth, and refers to the variety found in biota from
the genetic makeup of plants and animals to cultural diversity. (World Health Organization 2019)
By drawing on the definitions above biodiversity is the existence of different species of animals,
plant and man functioning together to improve the quality of life in our environment.
The importance of biodiversity in our environment cannot be overemphasis. Life on earth
depends on the interaction of many different plants and animals. Biodiversity makes this
interaction possible by supporting a variety of plant species, ecosystem balance, freshwater
resources, nutrient storage, soil formation, breaking down pollutants, food resources, climatic
stability, sustain recreation areas, and source of drugs . Despite the importance of a healthy
ecosystem, little is done to mitigate the negative impact on our environment by over-exploitation,
climate change, land use change, urban sprawl, traffic, air pollution.
During the last century, decreases in biodiversity have been increasingly observed. In 2007,
German Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel cited estimates that up to 30% of all
species will be extinct by 2050. This means there will be an effect of biodiversity loss, ecological
effect, and spread of diseases, loss of livelihood for locals, loss of our recreational space, society
effects, effect on food production, and economic effect. It is in line with this effect that the United
Nations reported that as the world’s forests continue to shrink, urgent action is needed to safeguard
their biodiversity
The emergence of COVID-19 has underscored the fact that, when we destroy biodiversity we
destroy the system that supports human life. Biodiversity involves 8 million plants and animal
species, the ecosystems that house them and the genetic diversity among them.
Conclusively, “With 1 million species facing extinction, there has never been a more important
time to focus on biodiversity. As the United Nations decades on biodiversity 2011-2020 comes to
a close and country prepare to adopt a post global biodiversity framework, #RhemaCare Integrated
Development Center a non for profit organization, join the United Nations, Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to call for the conservation of the world biodiversity
which depend on the way we interact with and use the world’s forests.