The great philosopher Ibn Rushd said “in Nature there is nothing superfluous.”  It was in this spirit that in 2002 the world’s leaders agreed to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. However, the recently-released third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO3) concludes that the 2010 target has not been met.  Reviewing all available evidence, including the national reports of over 100 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,GBO3 shows that biodiversity continues to disappear at an unprecedented rate – up to 1,000 times the natural background rate of extinction.

We have much work ahead of us if we are to reverse this trend.  The five main global drivers of biodiversity loss have not only remained more or less constant over the last decade, but are in some cases intensifying.  These include habitat loss, the unsustainable use and overexploitation of resources, climate change, invasive alien species, and pollution.  GBO3 warns that irreversible degradation may take place if ecosystems are pushed beyond certain tipping points, leading to the widespread loss of ecosystem services that we depend on greatly, such as air and water purification, the renewal of soil fertility, climate stabilization and the pollination of wild plants and crops. 

We can no longer sit idly by: immediate action to save biodiversity is required if we are to maintain the quality of life that so many of us take for granted.  The poor will be the first to suffer the consequences of continued biodiversity loss, since so many of them depend on biodiversity for their day-to-day livelihoods.  But ultimately we will all be affected.

2010 offers an excellent opportunity to make a change for the better.  The United Nations General Assembly declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity in order to help raise awareness about the irreplaceable contributions that biodiversity makes to our health, wellbeing and economic prosperity.  Two key events stand out in this regard.  In September the 65th session of UN General Assembly will for first time discus the importance of biodiversity, its role in sustainable development, its role in the fight against climate change, and future actions to preserve it.  And in October the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Nagoya, Japan.

In Nagoya the Convention’s 193 Parties – nearly every nation on Earth – will together finalize a 2020 biodiversity target and a 2050 biodiversity vision as a part of a comprehensive post-2010 strategic plan for stopping biodiversity loss in the future.  This will be done with the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including youth, local and indigenous authorities, parliamentarians, cooperative agencies and the private sector. 

We now know that biodiversity loss cannot be treated as a stand-alone issue, as it is interlinked with issues such as poverty, climate change, water scarcity, growth in demand, development and international conflict.  That is why our new strategic plan will promote concerted and concrete action by all sectors of government and society.  The preservation of our biological resources must be mainstreamed into society at large, including our economic systems and markets.

I urge the peoples and governments of the Middle East and North Africa to do all they can to save life on Earth during this 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.  With the future wellbeing of our children at stake, business as usual is no longer an option.  The required changes will not come from others; they will have to come from each and every one of us.  As the slogan of the International Year reminds us: Biodiversity is life…biodiversity is our life.