A year dump in the world's biodiversity

It's one of those terms that every time we hear most often, as climate change or global warming. Biodiversity or biological diversity, often appears in the media and the main reason is that is being lost, largely due to human action.

United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to warn of the alarming situation in which our planet is. And that, experts say, 10,000 to 50,000 species disappear each year, many of them before being scheduled.

Biodiversity is the insurance policy for the survival of our species

Biodiversity is the key to that nature continue to provide the goods we need, food, energy and medicine, a kind of insurance policy for survival of our species. Ecosystems regulate climate, water quality and air. However, as species are degraded or destroyed, it also diminishes their ability to continue providing those services. Humans are part of this wealth and have the ability to protect or destroy it.

Throughout 2010, United Nations organize conferences, exhibitions and activities to try to sensitize the public and governments about the importance of the variety of life on Earth for human welfare and the consequences of their loss. "Biodiversity is the very web of life," said Hamdallah Zedan, executive secretary of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), "For the poorest of the world is a matter of life or death. For Humanity Overall, the loss of biodiversity erodes their quality of life. "
Unmet goals

This convention came into force in 1993 and has been ratified by most UN countries that pledged to use resources sustainably. In 2002, world leaders put a target date of 2010 to significantly reduce biodiversity loss. However, the goal has not been fulfilled and we need a review as stated in the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon during his speech on biodiversity: "We need a new approach and new endeavors."

Theo Oberhuber, coordinator of campaigns 'Ecologists in Action', considers it essential that society be aware of the importance of halting biodiversity loss: "When we talk about the subject, most people think of the polar bear or Siberian Tiger, flagship species but distant. We want people to understand that biodiversity is the sum of all living beings on the planet and the relationships among species, and we rely entirely on it. Most of the resources we need to life has its origin in protecting biodiversity is so fundamental to human welfare and to curb poverty and climate change. "

The environmental organization presented motions to encourage municipalities to undertake concrete actions in areas such as transport or urban planning: "They have great expertise in environmental issues and not being put in place," said Oberhuber.
Individual actions

Anne Lewis, director of the Biodiversity Foundation, said that "Spain is home to a sample as representative of global biodiversity that looks like a miniature continent. On its territory is located more than 80% of vascular plants and 50% of the fauna of the European territory and nearly 50% of habitats that has been prioritized in the field to keep the European Union. The desire of the Foundation for the year 2010 is "that people take ownership of the term, as used in everyday life.

There are many gestures which, on a personal level, every citizen can take to protect biodiversity. Use your car less, generate less waste, reduce water consumption by using diffusers to the taps, do not buy exotic species as pets, monitor the temperature of the heating and air conditioning or choose from are some actions we can to care for Planet.