Each year, we celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity, or Biodiversity Day, on May 22. The United Nations sponsors this event as a way to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues across the world [1, 2, 3, 15].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Convention on Biological Diversity and Biodiversity Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the late 1980\u2019s, the United Nations convened a series of working groups and negotiating committees to develop an international treaty to guide sustainable use of and address threats to the Earth\u2019s biological resources. Through this process came the Convention on Biological Diversity, which the United Nations adopted on May 22, 1992, in Nairobi, Kenya [4]. The main objectives of this document are 1) the conservation of biological diversity, 2) the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and 3) the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources [5]. The Convention opened for signature on June 5, 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit and entered into force with 168 signatures December 29, 1993 [4]. There are 196 Parties to the Convention, which meet regularly as the Conference of the Parties to review and make decisions about the fulfillment of the Convention. [5, 6]. Since 2001, the United Nations has celebrated Biodiversity Day on May 22 to commemorate the anniversary of the date that the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re part of the solution, in 2021 and beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021, Biodiversity Day is organized with the slogan: \u201cWe\u2019re part of the solution\u201d [2, 8, 15]. This connects to the 2020 slogan, \u201cOur solutions are in nature\u201d and recognizes the role we have in crafting sustainable and just solutions to environmental, ecological, and social challenges [2, 15].<\/p>\n\n\n\n