Every year on May 22nd, the International Day for Biological Diversity seeks to increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues.

The term biodiversity stems from two different words: biological and diversity. It refers to the variety of life on Earth. The three types of biodiversity include:

• Genetic diversity
• Species diversity
• Ecosystem diversity

Biodiversity is very important for many reasons. It supplies the earth with clean water and oxygen. Biodiversity also enables plants to grow, which produces food for humans and animals. Other benefits of biodiversity are that it keeps pests and diseases in check and protects against flooding. It also helps to regulate the climate. Together, all of these benefits are known as ecosystem services.

The health of the earth suffers when biodiversity decreases. It’s also true of humans. The less biodiversity, the poorer our health becomes. Some even believe that pandemics are related to the loss of biodiversity. Now more than ever, we need to spread awareness for the importance of biodiversity.

International Day For Biological Diversity History

The UN General Assembly created the International Day for Biological Diversity in 1993. The original date was December 29th. Due to the busy holiday season, many countries could not focus their time and energy on planning events for this day. In 2000, the UN General Assembly changed the date to May 22nd.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY DATES