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Alberta recognizes International Day for Biological Diversity 05/14/10
With 80,000 species in Alberta, you don’t have to go to a tropical rainforest or remote island to find biodiversity. On May 22, Albertans are encouraged to observe International Day for Biological Diversity by learning more about the importance of biodiversity and what is being done to conserve Alberta’s biodiversity.
Of Alberta’s 80,000 species, about 95 per cent are fungi, moulds, mushrooms, algae, insects and other organisms that are small and seldom seen. Alberta also has 93 types of mammals, 411 varieties of birds, 10 kinds of amphibians, eight species of reptiles, 63 kinds of fish and 1,870 species of vascular plants, including trees, shrubs, ferns and wildflowers.
The Alberta government supports the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, which provides credible, independent information for sound decision-making on natural resources and the environment. The institute collects data and reports on thousands of species, habitats and human footprint activities at 1,656 sites across the province. Since 2007, 240 sites have been surveyed, and monitoring reports for northeastern Alberta have been completed.
“The data and reports help identify biodiversity outcomes for regional plans under the Land-use Framework, said Mel Knight, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. “We can then measure and evaluate land-use planning success against these outcomes.”
The Alberta government will provide $3.2 million in funding to the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute for 2010-11. In addition, Alberta’s resource industries have pledged about $1.25 million to the institute for 2010-11 operations.
In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted May 22 as International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Themed celebrations have occurred since 2002, and this year’s theme is Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Alleviation. The United Nations has also declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity.
For more information about the values of biodiversity, visit www.srd.alberta.ca/BioDiversityStewardship/AboutBiodiversity/. For more information about the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, visit www.abmi.ca |
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