Green Days by the EPPD: May 2020

Friday 22 May 2020

International Day for Biological Diversity 2020

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Globally, around 25% of all animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. The theme of this year is "Our solutions are in nature" which emphasises hope, solidarity and the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature.

As the global community is called to re-examine its relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain: despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.

2020 is a year of reflection, opportunity and solutions. It is expected, from each of us, that we will “Build Back Better” by using this time to increase the resilience of nations and communities as we recover from this pandemic. 2020 is the year when, more than ever, the world can signal a strong will for a global framework that will “bend the curve” on biodiversity loss for the benefit of humans and all life on Earth.

Although the review of taxa in Trinidad and Tobago is far from complete, it is well evidenced that due to its small size, location, and geological relationship shared with the South American continent, the country has a high species diversity to surface area ratio.

The range of terrestrial ecosystems include evergreen seasonal

semi-evergreen seasonal
deciduous seasonal
littoral woodlands
lower montane rainforests
seasonal montane forests
montane rainforests
elfin woodlands
swamp forests (including mangrove woodlands)
palm swamps
marshes
savannahs

These support approximately

2160 species of flowering plants - 110 of which are endemic
433 species of birds (411 Trinidad and 210 Tobago)
100 mammals
37 amphibians
93 reptiles including 47 snakes (44 Trinidad and 21 Tobago)

Marine systems include

the water masses
mud bottoms
coral reefs and communities
sandy bottoms
rocky shores
sea grass beds
mud flats

These support a range of macro and microbiota including a large array of commercially important fish species and 36 species of reef building corals.

Some threats to biodiversity include

Habitat loss
Unsustainable hunting practices
Deforestation
Invasive species
Climate change

To protect Biodiversity we must encourage Government legislation that promotes the:

Protection of flora and fauna
Create Nature preserves
Reducing invasive species
Habitat restoration
Captive breeding and seed banks
Research
Reduce climate change
Purchase sustainable products
Sustainable living
Education/Awarness

Together we can protect that which we all need for survival.

Take our short #Biodiversity quiz, chick the link below:

http://www.quiz-maker.com/Q914NDOC

The photographs featured in this articles were submitted to the EPPD via our social media platforms as part of our #BackyardBiodiversity activity to commemorate International Day for Biological Diversity.

Wednesday 20 May 2020

World Bee Day 2020

WORLD BEE DAY 2020

The main purpose of World Bee Day events is to spread awareness of the significance of bees and other pollinators for our survival. World Bee Day is an excellent opportunity to put bees at the centre of the national conversation for a day and encourage actions that create more bee-friendly landscapes.

We all depend on the survival of bees. Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

Do you know the other pollinators? Discover them here https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day/background

Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity

Slovenia proposed that the United Nations (UN) proclaim 20 May as World Bee Day. On 20 December 2017, following three years of efforts at the international level, the UN Member States unanimously approved Slovenia’s proposal, thus proclaiming 20 May as World Bee Day.

Bees are under threat. Present species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal due to human impacts. Close to 35 percent of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and about 17 percent of vertebrate pollinators, such as bats, face extinction globally.

If this trend continues, nutritious crops, such as fruits, nuts and many vegetable crops will be substituted increasingly by staple crops like rice, corn and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet.

Intensive farming practices, land-use change, mono-cropping, pesticides and higher temperatures associated with climate change all pose problems for bee populations and, by extension, the quality of food we grow.

How can we do more? Individually by:

planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year;
buying raw honey from local farmers;
buying products from sustainable agricultural practices;
avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our gardens;
protecting wild bee colonies when possible;
sponsoring a hive;
making a bee water fountain by leaving a water bowl outside;
helping sustaining forest ecosystems;
raising awareness around us by sharing this information within our communities and networks;