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Biodiversity key to future
Publication Date : 25-06-2012
We often take for granted that our beautiful and cherished biodiversity will remain constant and intact forever. How naive we are to presume such notions. Scientists and environmentalists often caution governments that protecting earth's biodiversity has become very essential since it's crucial for reducing climate pollution as well as dealing with and adapting to the effects of severe climate change.
At the recent Rio+20 conference which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, many world leaders and thousands of participants voiced out their concerns and suggested proposals for a safer, more cleaner and greener world.
Maldives President Mohamed Waheed announced that his Indian Ocean archipelago planned to set up the world's biggest marine reserve to protect its fisheries and biodiversity. Even countries such as Jamaica has said that it will go all out to achieve environmental sustainability as one way of minimising the expected impacts of climate change on the domestic biodiversity. Unfortunately, the Rio+20 did not meet its objectives, many critics say the conference failed miserably.
Scientists have voiced out that human activities that resulted in deforestation, destruction of wetlands and coastal ecosystems, urban sprawl as well as disregard for the natural environment have been identified as some of the most serious threats to biodiversity. In fact, experts are concerned that disregard for the natural environment could exacerbate the impact of severe weather.
With that, we as Bruneians should be more conscious about the preservation of our surrounding biodiversity. If we, as the citizens of the world, do not take effective measures to protect our environment, then the consequences could be as harmful as the effects of global warming itself. By then it would be too late to regret the errors of our selfish ways.