The Ministry of the Environment launched an information campaign for the International Year of Biodiversity
Press release: 19.01.2010
Today the Ministry of the Environment launched an information campaign for the International Year of Biodiversity with the motto: International Year of Biodiversity – for diverse nature, for our future.
Loss of biodiversity – the diversity of living organisms – is one of the most pressing global issues of the present time. This phenomenon is a consequence particularly of interference in and destruction of the natural environment, climate change and also the spreading of invasive species. The International Year of Biodiversity, proclaimed for the present year by the United Nations [1], aims to draw attention to the reasons for the extinction of flora and fauna, while striving to halt or at least slow down this process.
“The most dramatic changes are taking place in some developing countries, particularly in the tropical regions. However, the diversity of nature and the landscape is also endangered in the Czech Republic. Loss of nature’s diversity not only deprives the present and future generations of valuable natural wealth, but also causes damage in economic, social and cultural terms,” notes Mr. Jan Dusík, the Minister of the Environment.
IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) records almost 17 thousand species endangered by extinction in its global red list. For animals, this is true for 21 % of mammals, 12 % of birds, 31 % of reptiles, 30 % of amphibians and 37 % of fish. In the kingdom of plants, a total of 74 % of higher plants are endangered by extinction. According to the European red list, 23 % of amphibians, 19 % of reptiles, 15 % of mammals and 13 % of birds are endangered in Europe alone.
The most serious problems faced by Czech nature include urbanization, fragmentation and unification. Built-up areas are expanding and the construction of highways is fragmenting the landscape; the space for life and migration of fauna and flora is thus constantly decreasing. A landscape full of concrete is less resistant to torrential rain and increases the risk of floods. The landscape is being unified, thus diminishing variety and diversity.
The Report on the State of Nature and Landscape in the Czech Republic [2] indicates that:
80 thousand species are currently known in the territory of the Czech Republic (3,500 species of vascular plants, 886 species of mosses, 40,000 species of mushrooms, 24,000 species of insects, 8,000 species of other invertebrates and 711 species of vertebrates). According to the IUCN criteria, one third of them are considered to be endangered.
One half of the species of vascular plants in the territory of the Czech Republic are classified under one of the degrees of endangerment.
Some species of orchids and various species of weeds have already become extinct. 267 species of plants were critically endangered in 1979; this number increased to 476 in 2000. 19 species of domestic butterflies have become extinct and more than half of the remainder are endangered (88 species).
More than 50 % of amphibian and reptile species in the Czech Republic are threatened by extinction.
About 200 species of birds nest in the Czech Republic and dozens others either migrate across the country or overwinter here. 37 % of bird species are endangered in Europe – the Czech Red List classifies a total of 52 % birds in the category of endangered species. For some species, the reduction is dramatic – 82 % for partridges, 91 % for lapwings – while other species have almost vanished (Eurasian curlew, European roller). Decreasing trends can also be observed for some, formerly common, species (meadow lark). Birds in farming regions and species bound to wetlands are among the fastest disappearing species.
“The best protection of natural wealth in its unchanged form is provided by natural parks. In these parks, we can admire natural transformations of ecosystems; the most endangered species can find a haven here. Combination of natural protection with environmentally sound tourism brings prosperity to local municipalities. Promulgation of national parks, protected landscape areas and natural reserves is an effective instrument of the State for retaining at least the last islands of wild nature. However, protection of agricultural land is no less important,” says Deputy Minister of the Environment, Mr. František Pelc.
“Brash development in the landscape can be prevented by an amendment to the Act on Protection of the Agricultural Land Fund drawn up by the Ministry of the Environment, which is currently awaiting approval by the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament. Not only will it result in greater protection of land, but it will also promote the utilization of older agricultural and industrial areas in the urban landscape by obliging the owners to maintain their land in conformity with its characteristics and also by increasing the fees for withdrawing land from the agricultural land fund, and will thus prevent further degradation of Czech nature," adds Minister Dusík.
Within the information campaign related to its projects and activities, the Ministry will concentrate on explaining the following topics:
What is biodiversity? Why is it essential?
What is the state of biodiversity in the Czech Republic?
What affects biological diversity, why is biodiversity decreasing?
What are we doing and what else can we do to halt the loss of natural diversity as individuals, organizations and countries?
The activities related to the Year of Biodiversity in the Czech Republic will be coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic. The members of the coordination committee for the International Year of Biodiversity also include representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, sectoral agencies and NGOs.
The specific activities within the campaign are described in the notes [3].
Notes:
[1] At the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, the member countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity set the „2010 Target“. This initiative was aimed at substantially reducing the rate of biodiversity loss at global, national and local levels by the year 2010.
In 2006, the UN General Assembly subsequently incorporated the “2010 Target" among the Millennium Development Goals, which had already been defined in 2000 and whose fulfilment should resolve the most pressing problems of the developing world. While it is already clear that the target has not been achieved; nevertheless, this is a pressing reason why must we continue our activities and strive to halt the loss of biological diversity in the coming years.
Therefore, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. Information and awareness campaigns concerned with the fundamental objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity will take place in a number of countries.
Source:
[2] :"Report on the State of Nature and the Landscape“
[3] Activities of the Ministry of the Environment within the communication strategy of the International Year of Biodiversity:
1/ Selected species and biotopes for each month
One species of fauna and one species of flora, both bound to a certain biotope, have been chosen for each month with the aim to further specify the individual topics of protection of biodiversity and objectives of the Year of Biodiversity and provide further information in this context. The purpose of this approach is to demonstrate the diversity of biotopes in the Czech Republic and the connected diversity of species of fauna and flora, and to point out the problems affecting these biotopes and the species bound to them. The species were also chosen with respect to their links to a certain “story” – this should help to provide information and clearly explain this subject to the general public.
An information sheet indicating the wider context, opportunities and threats for the individual species will be prepared for each species in cooperation with the ANCLP CR. The Ministry of the Environment will provide the relevant information to the general public through press releases, discussions with experts, informal meetings with journalists, etc.
The lynx and the boletus regius mushroom were chosen for the month of January – these species are bound to a forest environment.
2/ Month of an international convention
At the same time, each month will be dedicated to an international convention in nature conservation and landscape protection to which the Czech Republic is a party. This campaign aims to familiarize the general public with the given convention and its focus, and also to present the national activities pursued by the Czech Republic to implement the convention and to contribute to conserving and retaining global biodiversity. January is dedicated to the European Landscape Convention. More detailed information will be available at the website of the Ministry of the Environment.
3/ Week for Biodiversity – May 24 to 28, 2010
This is a discussion week concerned with links between the subject of biodiversity and other topics, such as biodiversity and Czech development aid; climate change and its impact on biodiversity, etc. A different topic will be assigned to each day. The discussion week will take place from May 24 to May 28, 2010 in the Small Hall of the Municipal Library of Prague.
A list of all events that are being prepared by the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with the partner organizations will be published on the website of the Ministry of the Environment under the reference to the International Year of Biodiversity.
Petra Roubíčková, Spokesperson of the MoE
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