Biodiversity loss irreversible: Minister

Addressing the third global BIOFIN conference, which commenced in Mamallapuram on Tuesday, through video-conferencing, the Minister said the world has to confront multiple challenges, such as halting biodiversity loss, addressing climate change, reducing desertification and land degradation, disaster risk reduction and meeting sustainable developmental goals. 

“Biodiversity and ecosystem services have the potential to deliver multiple benefits that can help us address these challenges. The continuing loss of biodiversity, largely because of human activities, including consumptive lifestyles, is a matter of concern. This trend, if continued unchecked, will endanger environmental sustainability and economic prosperity,” Harsh Vardhan said.

Unlike the deterioration of physical environment, which can be halted and reversed, loss of biodiversity is a problem far more complex and largely irreversible, Harsh Vardhan said, adding that if the living environment of Earth is saved, physical non-living environment can also be saved as each is dependent on the other.

The conference, organised by the Government of India, in collaboration with the Biodiversity Finance Initiative, which includes 30 Biofin member countries, will facilitate knowledge sharing and technical discussions among countries.