INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIODIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS CRUCIAL ROLE OF WATER by Fardah

    Jakarta, May 21, 2013 (Antara) - On May 22, 2013, many countries including Indonesia are to observe the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) focusing on "Water and Biodiversity".

        The theme is chosen to coincide with the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013, and coincidentally, the period 2005-2015 is the International Decade for Action "Water For Life".

        According to the United Nations, the IDB 2013's theme of water provides Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the public at large the opportunity to raise awareness about this vital issue, and to increase positive action.

       This year, UNESCO has been chosen as the lead agency to promote the global celebrations and to help raise awareness on the critical issues facing water management.

        Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director-General, in her message on the International Day for Biological Diversity 2013 posted on UNESCO's official website said the water cycle is influenced heavily by ecosystems and the life associated with them.

        "Ecosystems and their biodiversity should not be viewed as consumers of water, but as essential elements of natural infrastructure within water management," she stated.  
   She explained biodiversity supports water and nutrient cycling in soils and therefore plants, including all food crops. Water is a renewable but a finite resource. It can be recycled but not replaced, and faces severe pressure from increasing demands to satisfy the needs of a growing population, rapid urbanization, pollution and climate change.

         "Cooperation is essential to strike a balance between the different needs and priorities and share this precious resource equitably," she said.                            
    Biodiversity is fundamental to sustaining life, providing critical ecosystem services such as food provisioning, water purification, flood and drought control, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation, amongst many others.      
   When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993,  December 29 (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), it was designated as The International Day for Biological Diversity.

        In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted May 22 as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on May 22, 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

        The May 22 was decided to become the IDB because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

         In Indonesia, the environmental affairs ministry is scheduled to organize a talk show on "Challenge and Opportunity of Nagoya Protocol for Indonesia" on May 22, 2013, to observe the International Day for Biological Diversity.

         Environmental Affairs Minister Balthasar Kambuaya is expected to officially open the talk show which will have among others former environmental and population affairs minister  Emil Salim as a speaker, Arief Yuwono, deputy environmental affairs minister, said recently.  
    Indonesia signed the document of the Nagoya Protocol on May 11, 2011.  As a mega biodiversity nation, Indonesia sees the urgency to sign the Nagoya Protocol to protect its rich genetic resources, particularly from thefts and piracy.    
   Indonesia has also played an active role in international talks on biodiversity and has ratified the Biological Diversity Convention through the Law No.5/1994, he said.

         In September 2012, three leading global environmental and conservation organizations - The Nature Conservancy, World Resources Institute and WWF -  honored Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with the first-ever "Valuing Nature Award" for his leadership in recognizing the importance of natural resources and
working to conserve them.

         The NGOs have considered Indonesia, with an area of nearly two million square kilometers (772,204 square miles) and over 240 million people, as one of the most important countries when it comes to sustainability, particularly in relation to its globally important biodiversity, forest and marine resources.

         President Yudhoyono is specifically being recognized for his leadership in establishing the multilateral Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), which will sustain extraordinary marine and coastal resources in six countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

        This region is one of the most biologically diverse areas, home to more than 75 percent of all known coral species and more than 37 percent of coral reef fish. In total, the coral reefs, mangroves, and associated natural habitats are valued at US $2.3 billion.

          Under President Yudhoyono's administration, Indonesia pledged to achieve 20 million hectares of marine protected areas across the country by 2020. Up to now, Indonesia has achieved 13.4 million hectares of marine protected areas, considerably exceeding the
target of 10 million hectares by 2010.

          When receiving the award in New York in September 2012, President Yudhoyono said: "I see these awards as votes of confidence for Indonesia. A recognition of what we have achieved and what we aspire to achieve."
     He explained around 120 million people are directly dependent on CTI areas for their food security. "And yet it is an area that is under various threats to environmental and economic sustain-ability. It is being over fished. Human irresponsibility has resulted in the rapid destruction of its coral reefs," he added.

         Earlier, in July 2012, the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) in its meeting in Paris, France, added Indonesia's Wakatobi National Park as one of 20 new sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

          Biosphere Reserves are areas designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to serve as places to test different approaches to integrated management of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine resources and biodiversity.

         Located in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Wakatobi National Park, which covers four main islands of Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko, has diverse ecosystems with many marine and coastal species of seagrass, coral reefs, fish, sea birds, turtles, cetaceans, and mangroves. There are about 590 fish species and 396 reef on Wakatobi
Islands.

         As a biosphere reserve, Wakatobi National Park becomes a protected forest for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development based on local wisdom and appropriate sciences.

         The national park has been known as a world's coral reef triangle center which has amazing undersea scenery.
    Wakatobi District Head Hugua said he is committed to developing Wakatobi to become a world's major biodiversity center. He wanted to see Wakatobi as a nature laboratory where researchers, students, local government, NGOs, the public and private sectors can learn.

         With the inclusion of Wakatobi in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve list, Indonesia at present has a total of eight biosphere reserves, of the world's total 598 biosphere reserves in 117 nations.

        The seven other Indonesia's Biosphere Reserves are Cibodas in West Java (inscribed by UNESCO in 1977), Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara (1977), Lore Lindu mountainous rain forests in Central Sulawesi (1977), Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan (1977), Gunung Leuser in Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra (1981),
Siberut rain forest in West Sumatra (1981), and Giam Siak Kecil - Bukit Batu peat land area in Riau Province (2009). ***4***
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(T.F001/A/F. Assegaf/A/A. Abdussalam) 21-05-2013 16:27:26