Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Thursday, 4 June 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL), in collaboration with its Patron Members – Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Stafford International School, launched a series of student competitions to commemorate World Environment Day (WED), commemorated around the globe annually on the 5th of June, to promote awareness and action for the environment on a UN designated theme. Aptly, the designated theme for 2020 is ‘Biodiversity’.
Year 2020 comes across as an important year for biodiversity. With one million plant and animal species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on the issue. 2020 is also a critical year for global and national commitments to conserving and restoring biodiversity. Global achievements based on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity is currently being reviewed.
It is also anticipated that in 2020, the final decision on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be taken, together with decisions on related topics including capacity building and resource mobilisation. 2021 will ramp up the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), intended to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems, to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity.
This year BSL has given due prominence to sensitising the next generation, to make them more aware of biodiversity and its values, the many challenges faced in its conservation and the potential solutions, encouraging children to play their part in the coming years, to overcome obstacles currently being faced.
This collaborative partnership forged between Stafford International School and BSL, supported by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has launched student art, essay, and speech competitions for primary graders of the Stafford International School.
Submissions made by the students will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the winners and runners up will be announced via BSL’s social media platforms on 4 June. The winners and runners up will receive awards and certificates of achievement. Interested, eligible students of SIS are encouraged to contact their class teachers for more details and procedure for submission.
