• NEMA spokesperson plans to plant over 1,000 trees to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB).

The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) is being observed worldwide with the theme “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity” in Uganda. In celebration of the passage of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Agreed Text, the United Nations General Assembly designated May 22 as the International Day of Biodiversity (IDB) in December 2000.

NEMA, the National Environment Management Authority in Uganda, has announced that a restoration activity will be placed in Mabira Forest today (May 22, 2023) to honor CBD.

Miss Naomi Karekaho, the spokesperson of Nema has disclosed that they plan to plant over 1,000 trees by the end of business today. “It’s basically a journey to restore nature, and this year the theme is to restore nature. So in this regard together with National Forestry Authority (NFA) and many other stakeholders, we are planting more than 1,000 trees in degraded areas of Mabira Forest,” she said.

Uganda became one of the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on September 8, 1993; on December 29, 1993, it was domesticated.

Mr. David Cooper, the Acting Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), urged governments and companies all over the world to develop policies that will ensure the implementation of the goals of the COP 15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (agreement) to stop biodiversity loss in his message for this year’s IDB commemoration.

“Governments, businesses, consumers we all have a role to play in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (agreement). Governments need to develop national targets to align with the targets and goals of the framework,” he said, adding that it would clean the air and water, ensure food security, limit zoonotic diseases and help achieve the global vision of living in Harmony with nature by 2050.

In its 2016 Frontiers report, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) warned of zoonotic illnesses, which spread from animals to people and make up about 60% of all infectious diseases that affect people. Four years later, the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe quickly, claiming millions of lives and decimating businesses all over the world.