The United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity – a celebration of biodiversity and its value to our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard biodiversity.
Objectives of International Year of Biodiversity:
- raise awareness of the importance of conserving biodiversity for human well-being and promote understanding of the economic value of biodiversity
- enhance public knowledge of the threats to biodiversity and means to conserve it
- encourage organisations (and through them individuals) to take direct or indirect biodiversity conservation activities.
In recognition of 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, and to simply celebrate the amazing diversity of life on, in and over the earth, the Union of Nature Conservation (IUCN) is running its Species of the Day.
Each of these animals, plants and fungi are found on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. This means that each and every one is currently threatened by extinction.
What is the Christchurch City Council doing to assist?
150 of the 17,000 species under threat worldwide occur in New Zealand. The Christchurch City Council is taking steps to contribute to safeguarding these and other animals and plants through implementation of its Biodiversity Strategy 2008-2035.
Looking after our local biodiversity means that we are contributing to what the IUCN calls “a global crisis” of species extinction.
Our approach is to protect and enhance New Zealand’s unique native species as a priority – our indigenous biodiversity. We want to keep our animals and plants off the IUCN Red List.
There is a wide range of activities taking place across Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula in which the Council is involved to record, measure, publicise, educate, conserve, restore and rejoice in the wonderful wildlife all around us.
To find out more about implementation of the Council’s Biodiversity Strategy contact the Principal Advisor Natural Environment on (03) 941 8889 .
