Environment ministers launch an appeal for the conservation of biodiversity
Bern, 03.09.2010 - Together with ministers and senior representatives from eleven states who met in Geneva on 3 september 2010, Moritz Leuenberger launched an appeal for a new policy on biodiversity. The appeal, which is directed at world leaders, aims to encourage the states to do more for biodiversity in advance of the international conference on biodiversity to be held in Nagoya, Japan in October.
In his opening address to the ministerial meeting, Moritz Leuenberger deplored the fact that the objective the international community had set itself of stemming the loss of biodiversity by 2010 had not been fulfilled. Ecosystems and species are essential to human life. They provide drinking water and guarantee soil fertility. Agriculture, forestry and fishing are completely dependent on biodiversity. However, society has not yet fully realised how important it is to conserve biodiversity.
Federal Councillor Leuenberger pointed out that while the economic dimension of the protection of flora and fauna is significant, it is essential that we do not reduce the world's biodiversity to figures and costs. It is impossible to put a price on the assets involved here, for example life itself and the respect of animals and nature.
An initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The meeting in Geneva was organised on the initiative of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Eleven states that have hosted or will host a Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity were invited to meet and generate new impetus for international policy in this area. The environment ministers present at the meeting, including Norbert Röttgen (Germany), Isabelle Texeira (Brazil), Jairam Ramesh (India) and Moritz Leuenberger (host country representative), appealed to world leaders to formulate and implement a new global policy for the conservation of biodiversity. This appeal will be conveyed to United Nations General Assembly for the special debate on biodiversity which is due to take place on 22 September 2010 in New York. It will also be conveyed to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity which will be attended by over 190 states from 18 to 29 October in Japan.
Address for enquiries
Dominique Bugnon, Head of Communications, Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC. Tel. : + 41 (0)79 367 08 43
Franz Perrez, Head of the International Affairs Division, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. Tel. : + 41 (0)79 251 90 15
Publisher
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
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