The UNESCO office in Central America last Monday urged the region to value its rich diversity and to work to restore the links between humans and nature, as well as to take actions to protect species and ecosystems. “We are committed to transforming our region through 3 fundamental pillars: restoring the relationship between humans and nature, conserving our ecosystems, and empowering youth as agents of change. We know that only through alliances will we be able to build a sustainable future, avoiding the loss of biodiversity“, said the director of the UNESCO Regional Office in San José, Alexander Leicht, in a statement.
According to various studies, Central America is home to between 5% and 12% of the world’s biodiversity, but it is also one of the world’s most vulnerable areas to climate change and natural disasters. Within the framework of World Environment Day, UNESCO highlighted in a statement “the importance of biodiversity in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and the need to take measures for its conservation”.
Facing an accelerated degradation of its natural resources
UNESCO stressed that the Central American region is known for its natural wealth and diverse ecosystems, but that it is currently “facing an accelerated degradation of its natural resources, which threatens the survival of numerous species, puts our natural heritage at risk and cultural”. “It is a good day to reflect on the loss of biodiversity as one of the three interrelated planetary crises we face as humanity, along with climate change and pollution”, he also noted.
Declared as World Heritage to promote conservation and solutions to environmental challenges
Likewise, UNESCO highlighted the importance of the sites that it has declared as World Heritage to promote conservation and solutions to environmental challenges, and called on the population to adopt sustainable practices to protect biodiversity and natural resources. “Education for sustainable development is essential to raise awareness and promote positive change. In the region, greater investment is required in educational programs that highlight the importance of biodiversity and endangered ecosystems, encouraging youth to become defenders of nature”, added UNESCO.
Finally, this entity also asked governments, organizations, companies and citizens to work together to protect the region’s biodiversity.
