Ondjiva - Professor Lliyan Hernández on Thursday in the Southern Cunene Province, defended the need to preserve and make rational use of biodiversity in order to guarantee the sustainability of life on earth.
Speaking on the occasion of International Biodiversity Day, marked on 22 May, the biology professor from the Ondjiva Polytechnic Institute said that biodiversity must be taken care of because it provides a source of a variety of food and other products that are useful for guaranteeing human life.
“Biodiversity has an important social, cultural and economic value, since human life depends directly on it for the use of food, water and medicines”, he emphasised.
To this end, she advocated strengthening measures to protect the various species of plants and animals at risk of extinction, adding the importance of promoting practical activities in schools and communities to raise awareness among the population about the importance of preserving biodiversity.
Angola invests in biodiversity conservation
Since 2018 Angola has been implementing the “National Biodiversity Strategy”, whose action plan aims to ensure that ecosystems are resilient by 2025, providing essential services and contributing to the well-being of the population.
The idea consists of the implementation of projects to expand and strengthen conservation areas, the creation of the first marine conservation area in Angola, as well as putting an end to poaching and human-animal conflict.
The strategy underway is based in the National Development Plan (PDN) 2018/2022 and in the National Long-Term Strategy, Angola 2020/2025 to keep the ecosystems services as well as the maintenance of a healthy environment and uncontaminated and the sharing of crucial benefits for all.
International Biodiversity Day was created by the United Nations on 22 May 1992 with the aim of raising global awareness of the importance of biological diversity and the preservation of biodiversity in all ecosystems.
This date is in honour of the day on which the final text of the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted, entitled: “Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity”.
Biodiversity is the foundation that sustains all life on land and in water. It affects every aspect of human health by providing clean air and water, nutritious food, medicines and natural resistance to disease.
The day is ideal for reflecting on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to stimulate efforts so that, by 2030, all actions are applied universally, and thus contribute to ending all forms of poverty, promote the fight against inequalities and combat climate change, ensuring that no one is left behind. PEM/LHE/MCN/MRA/DOJ
