Let adopt traditional methods to conserve nature-Dr Singh

From Albert Oppong-Ansah, GNA Special Correspondent, Hyderabad, India (Courtesy: Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, Global Environmental Facility and Internews).

Hyderabad (India), Oct. 16, GNA - Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India has called on parties to the Biodiversity Convention to adopt traditional methods which are bio friendly to conserve the world’s natural Resources.

“We are enjoying the benefit of biodiversity now because the previous generation appreciated the critical role it played in their lives so they put in place traditional measures like sustainable farming to protect it”, he said.

Dr Singh made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the High Level Segment (HLS) of the on-going 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known as COP 11 in Hyderabad, India.

The HLS would see ministerial delegations discussing four key issues namely, the implementation of the strategic plan on Bio diversity 2011 to 2020, Coastal Marine Biodiversity, Bio Diversity for Livelihoods and poverty reduction.

With the world facing food insecurity, Dr. Singh said our Biodiversity could be a solution to the challenge of lack of enough food.

He said increased forest growth and adaptation of organic sustainable farming could help address food security challenges.

As the current president of the Convention of Biodiversity, Dr. Singh, on behalf of the people of India, pledged to commit 50 Billion dollars to support India's Bio-Diversity and those of other developing countries like Ghana.

The facility would mainly be used to develop human capacity, technologies and strengthen institutions, which he said was an important element in preserving Bio- Diversity.

He urged governments and multinationals to back the talks with action to ensure that the world was protected, adding that “Our very existence depend on nature”, he said.

Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, Indian Minister for Environment and Forest said posterity would not forgive the current generation if nothing was done to preserve the biodiversity.

“Let us not take entrenched positions but agree on reasonable terms to enable the world to reduce the destruction of biodiversity for the sake of the next generation,”

“There was the need for parties to the convention to embark on rigorous public awareness creation on the preservation of biodiversity to ensure the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan of 2011 to 2020.”

“The road ahead is tough…. but with determination, hard work, perseverance and focus we can make it”, she said.

Touching on urbanization, she explained that infrastructural development had both negative and positive implications, such as destruction of conservations, hence the need for countries to adopt environmentally sustainable mechanism to address challenges that would pop-up.

Mr Braulio Dias, Executive Director of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 was crucial to the sustenance of the world’s biodiversity.

He called on parties to mobilize resource from both local and international sources to protect nature for safe human existence.

Professor Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, who led Ghana’s delegation to the conference, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, called for an attitudinal change of humanity toward nature preservation.

“We can better protect our natural resource if we begin to cultivate the habit of loving and appreciating nature”, he said.