Biological diversity is everywhere and it’s rad

I cover a lot of UN conferences for work, but one of my favourites is the UN Biodiversity Conference which happens every two years. The most recent one was in December in Cancun, Mexico, which doubled my excitement as I got to experience the conference in my home country.

It’s a little overdue but here are the things I produced while I was there. You’ll notice topics vary greatly and that’s because biodiversity touches on so many areas that are essential for human well-being: from indigenous knowledge and its relationship to medicine to the role of mega hotels chains in sustainably managing environments and providing employment for local communities.

By far the most popular piece of content was a report produced by the Convention on Biological Diversity on marine waste which will make you think twice before using disposable plastic and eating fish in the future. I know I read it and immediately started changing daily habits. You can too!

Stories

1. On eve of major UN conference, alarms raised that efforts to halt biodiversity loss are lagging

2. Governments, businesses must integrate biodiversity into their practices to halt degradation, UN conference hears

3. UN conference adopts ‘Cancun Declaration,’ ramping up efforts to protect world’s biodiversity

4. Handy guide to UN Biodiversity terms

5. New UN report finds marine debris harming more than 800 species, costing countries millions

6. Countries urged to prioritize protection of pollinators to ensure food security at UN biodiversity conference

7. UN rights expert calls on countries to comply with laws that protect environment defenders

Videos

1. Interview with Executive Director of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias

2. Tourism can damage or help conserve biodiversity — you decide

3. The relationship between women and forests is much closer than you think

4. Protecting tiger habitats in Russia and beyond

5. Supporting sustainable agriculture and farmers’ rights in India

6. Restoring Mexico’s islands

7. Indigenous peoples as stewards of biodiversity

8. Youth are making their voices heard at the UN Biodiversity Conference

Facebook Lives

1. Marine waste, climate change, wildlife, indigenous people’s rights — David Ainsworth talks to us about all the hot topics at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Head of Communications of the Convention on Biological Diversity David Ainsworth talks about all the hot topics at the UN Biodiversity Conference

2. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment, John Knox.

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