Earth Day Celebrations- 22nd April 2010

Theme: Celebrating Conserving Biodiversity: The Youth Factor

Grace MwauraAYICC Advisor-2010

Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on

There are 13 million species- UN CBD; of which only 1.9 million have been described -IUCN

70% of the world's species is found in just 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru and Democratic Republic of Congo

Most the biodiversity is found in the emerging Economies?

Overall, tropical rainforests are thought to contain 50 -90% of all species. Some 2,600 bird species (~30 %of the total) depend on tropical forests.

Kakamega Forest National Reserve is the only tropical rainforest in Kenya, left over from past millennia when dense rain forest stretched from West Africa.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000007242&cid=467&story=Kakamega -

But the forest maybe wiped out in the next 20 years

Biodiversity hotspot –An area of rich biodiversity that faces serious threats to its existence. 25 biodiversity hotspots contain 44% of all plant species and 35% of all terrestrial vertebrate species in only 1.4 % of the planet's land area.

Eastern Arc Mountains and the Coastal forests

UNEP1995 Global Biodiversity Assessment (GBA)- Species extinction since 1600 has occurred at 50 to 100 times the natural rate, and is expected to accelerate to between 1,000 and 10,000 times the natural rate by 2020.

The Earth is now facing a sixth mass extinction, in part because of human activities

Converting land to agriculture Clearing forests Climate change Pollution Unsustainable harvesting of natural

resources Introduction of alien species Human population growth Unsustainable consumption patterns Increasing production of waste Urban development and International conflicts.

The well functioning of ecosystems

Research The economic value Recreation &

Tourism Human food Medicine Biological pest

control Materials

The list is endless

Protected areas- 102,102 sites covering 18.8 M sq km - 2003 United Nations List of Protected Areas.

17.1 million sq km are terrestrial protected areas, or 11.5% of the global land surface.

At least 300 critically endangered, 237 endangered and 267 vulnerable bird, mammal, turtle and amphibian species have no protection in any part of their ranges.

Entered into force in 29 December 1993.

Main objectives: The conservation of biological diversity The sustainable use of the components

of biological diversity The fair and equitable sharing of the

benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources

http://www.cbd.int/convention/about.shtml

Member states of the are in the process of agreeing a series of targets and indicators to help measure progress towards this target.

Effectively conserving at least 10% of the world's ecological regions;

improving the status of threatened species;

ensuring no species of wild flora or fauna is endangered by international trade;

providing new and additional financial resources and technology to developing countries to help them meet their conservation commitments.

You are biodiversity, Your diet depends on the plants and animals, from the grasses that give us rice and wheat, to the fish and meat from both wild and farmed landscapes. Your body contains up to 100 trillion cells and is connected with everything around you and the wider world in a wonderfully complex and timeless system. You share your atoms with every being and object in the natural world, you are both ancient and inconceivably young. Biodiversity is life, your life is biodiversity and biodiversity is you.

Agriculture This man needs you

help Sustainable

farming? Agroforestry? Irrigation? Indigenous or GM

crops?

Deforestation Sustainable

lifestyles Energy Saving

options Local Conservation

initiatives Policy process

involvement Advocacy and

awareness

70% of the population are between 15-35 years.

We are citizens of a nation that’s a party to the CBD to ensure “The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity”.

We are the PRESENT and FUTURE of this world-

www.kenyanclimateyouth.blogspot.com

www.ayicc.net www.ayicc-kenya.ning.com www.facebook.com/pages/African-

Youth-Initiative-On-Climate-Change-Kenya.com

AYICC Kenya Communications Teamayicckenya@gmail.com