From SBurgiel@defenders.org Sat Jun 19 14:39:34 2004 Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 09:14:19 -0400 From: Stas BurgielTo: biodiv-l Subject: [biodiv-l] Education Tool: Explaining the Benefits of Biodiversity [ Part 1, "Mail message body" Text/PLAIN (charset: ISO-8859-1 "Latin ] [ 1") 143 lines. ] [ Unable to print this part. ] [ The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] From:"Will Rogowski" To: Subject:Explaining the Benefits of Biodiversity to People Date sent: Tue, 25 May 2004 11:48:05 +0100 Some of you will have seen this already - so my apologies for any cross-postings – but I think it’s worth a second look. Hi A Free Audio Information & Education Tool Explaining the Benefits of Biodiversity to People As you will know, International Biological Diversity Day fell on Saturday 22nd May this year and as UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is United Nations Environment Programme’s centre for biodiversity we have made a contribution by creating an educational website which explains the true meaning of biodiversity in easy to understand “consumer focussed” language. The interactive presentation is based around the UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Benefits People posters, which are also available to download and print from the same site. The presentation has been created using the latest software called Macromedia Breeze – this is an automated presentation with full audio commentary – if you have speakers, please have them switched on – if you don’t then you can see the full transcript of the commentary by clicking to the notes box in the bottom left hand corner. You can also adjust the size of screen to virtually full size should you wish. This website also has useful links to: Defining Biodiversity UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity series of publications Biodiversity Assessment Biodiversity Posters (for download and print) It is designed to be used as an information and education tool and will be available in CD ROM in the not too distant future. Educators can use this in the classroom, the public and private sector can also use this in supporting presentations whenever needed – the website tool is free of charge, the CD may be at additional cost including P&P – all we ask as that this is clearly acknowledged to UNEP-WCMC. Please click to: http://www.unep-wcmc.org/biodiversity/index.htm Also see press release below and in attached file. Hope that you will all find this helpful. Very best wishes Will Rogowski Head of Marketing & Communications United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge, CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: will.rogowski@unep-wcmc.org BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS PEOPLE: Celebrating International Biodiversity Day, 22nd May 2004 Sustainable use of the world’s natural resources is vital for our survival, well-being and future prosperity Stop and look around you. Everywhere you turn, you’ll see evidence of how the earth’s resources help you survive. Food, clothes, clean water supplies, housing and medicine are among our most basic needs, but it is easy to forget that we owe their existence to the complex interaction among ecosystems within our natural world. The 22nd May 2004 marks the annual celebration of International Biodiversity Day - an occasion to reflect on the true value of nature and the protection it affords us. This year’s theme, Biodiversity: Food, Water and Health for All, has been chosen to highlight the link between the environment and human well-being that so many of us take for granted. To celebrate International Biodiversity Day, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has developed an online audio presentation entitled ‘Biodiversity Benefits People’, which can be downloaded free-of-charge from the Centre’s website. Peter Hall, Director of Biodiversity Information Services at UNEP-WCMC, emphasises its educational value. “The presentation outlines the dangers that threaten fragile ecosystems and identifies the enormous benefits, goods and services we take from the earth’s living resources. We hope that educators and the media will use this presentation to inform a broader audience of these critical issues.” Global consumption patterns show that the wealthy nations are driving the depletion of our living resources, while the poor struggle to survive. Our oceans, plant life and animal species are under increasing threat from pollution and over-exploitation. But everyone is entitled to reap the benefits of biodiversity, both now and in the future, making commitment to political agendas a priority. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, play a crucial role in conserving and managing biodiversity. The Millennium Development Goals, set up in 2000, also recognise the vital importance of biodiversity in sustaining livelihoods, especially in the developing world. Mark Collins, Director of UNEP-WCMC, stresses the need to increase knowledge about biodiversity and its benefits. “International Biodiversity Day is an important opportunity to draw attention to how much the environment contributes to our lives. Gaining a wider understanding of biodiversity issues encourages positive action at all levels, from families recycling their household waste to governments establishing political aims such as the target to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010.” -ENDS- Notes for editors: UNEP-WCMC is the United Nations centre of excellence for biodiversity. The Centre promotes wiser decision-making and a sustainable future by providing the information and policy support needed for the conservation and sustainable management of the living world. For more information on International Biodiversity Day, visit www.biodiv.org For further information relating to this press release, please contact: Will Rogowski Head of Marketing & Communications United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1223 277314 Fax: +44 (0) 1223 277136 Email: will.rogowski@unep-wcmc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------