UNDP says protecting biodiversity is important for development
11/02/2010
Preserving biodiversity is not about being 'green' but about economics, according to Veerle Vandeweerd, Director of Environment and Energy at UNDP, the UN Development Programme.
Biodiversity
Ms. Vandeweerd participated in a press conference at UN headquarters to launch the International Year of Biodiversity, 2010. She says the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of natural resources affect first and foremost the poor and vulnerable.
"And we should not forget that three-quarters of the world's population depends on natural resources for their daily living and their daily survival - from their food, their shelter, recreation -- everything. Three-quarters of the world's population is directly related to biodiversity on this planet."
Drylands, which make up 40 percent of the Earth's surface are home to 2.3 billion people. These are already degraded environments, Ms. Vandeweerd points out, yet people living there depend on them for their livelihoods. Another 1.1 billion people depend on artisanal fisheries for their protein intake.
Preserving biodiversity is integral to achieving the Milliennium Development Goals, said Ms. Vandeweerd. That is why UNDP is working to unleash the economic potential of protected areas, as well as to insert the biodiversity perspective in economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining and tourism.
Bissera Kostova, United Nations.
(duration: 1'25")
Sound bites
Veerle Vandeweerd Cut
"And we should not forget that three-quarters of the world's population depends on natural resources for their daily living and their daily survival - from their food, their shelter, recreation -- everything. Three-quarters of the world's population is directly related to biodiversity on this planet."
Duration: 00:00:16
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