2010 International Year of Biodiversity

The biodiversity

Our earth is beautiful, our earth is rich, rich in its incredible biologic variety.

A biologic variety which man is conscious very certainly since well for a long time, but which he did not doubtless measure big importance. Naturally due to numerous animal and vegetable species, the man was able to feed and due to the variety of the circles of life he was able to find an environment. But biodiversity it's more than the inventory of all which live on our planet.

Biodiversity is a relatively recent term invented in the 80s, it is the result of the contraction of biologic variety. Biodiversity is not only recognition of the important biologic variety of the earth but it is above all the awareness of the interactions which exist between various alive sorts and their circles of life. It is the result of the history of several billion years of the evolution of the alive world on the earth.

The notion of biodiversity contains according to the specialists of the question 3 interdependent levels:

-The variety of the circles of life (oceans, forests, prairies, mountains, gardens, public gardens etc.)

-The variety of the sorts which live in these circles which interagissent among them and with their environment

-The variety of the individuals within every sort.

It is in 1992 at Rio de Janeiro during the Summit of the Earth that the term of Biodiversity takes all its dimension. First agreement on the Biodiversity ( CDB) is established, at a time of today, it is ratified by about 190 countries, the importance of the Biodiversity is recognized. This agreement has for objective the conservation of this biologic variety, as well as the durable development and the fair division of ground resources.

Why an international year of the biodiversity ?

This 2010 year was decreed international year of the biodiversity by the UNO. The advance of the biovariety throughout this year has for main objective to alert public opinion on this major stake that is the conservation of the biologic variety on earth.

The very fast decline of biodiversity is turned out from now on some years, but few people are conscious of state and consequences of decline of this biodiversity. Indeed only some decades were necessary for man to distort natural ecosystems (primary or tropical forests, lakes, mangrove swamps etc.). According to the IUCN which is the network of experts of the International Union for the Conservation of the Nature, biovariety falls 1 000 in 10 as 000 times fast that the natural rhythm of extinction and 1 mammal on 4 is threatened with disappearance.

The causes of this fast decline are multiple but main reasons are the following ones:

-The speed of the climatic change which we live made that numerous sorts have no necessary time to adapt itself and see their profoundly modified or destroyed environment.

-The galloping urbanization of these last decades destroyed a very big number of natural environments.

-Chemical pollution caused by the extensive agriculture and the colossal quantity of waste which we produce.

-The introduction of exotic sorts very intrusives as the first-rate Asiatic hornet.

-The overexploitation of our resources (extensive fishing, poaching etc.).

Decline biodiversity at the moment does not worry as much as climatic change and nevertheless. It is true that climatic change is much more easily perceptible, storms, earthquake, sea level which rises etc. Nevertheless biovariety is present in our lives in everyday life, first of all it is the base of the food, she is there when we get dressed and when we look after ourselves.

And if biodiversity came to collapse it would be a real disaster. We can have a small idea of the dimension which it would take by tilting us on bees and their population in free-fall. Let us imagine a world without bees, so without pollination and so a decline of the production of the subsistence crops which would put in big danger food security …

It is the biologic variety of our planet which always assured the survival of the human being. Let us hope that this international year of the biodiversity will alert public opinion on this subject ô how much important and that innovative solutions will be found and supported.

Biodiversity in France

France participates international year and so declared biodiversity great cause for 2010, undertaking so to protect her rich natural patrimony.

France is a country of which natural patrimony is of an incredible wealth. With the maritime domain (metropolis and Dom Tom) of 11 millions of km2, which is in the world 2nd rank and the presence on 2 continents and 3 oceans, our country possesses an exceptional but very fragile biologic variety. We are in the first European rank as regards the variety of amphibians ( 38 sorts), that of mammals ( 120 sorts) and birds ( 357 sorts).

But metropolitan France is also placed in the 4-th European rank of countries sheltering a big number of all over the world threatened sorts, and a French territory in general in the 8-th world rank in report of countries sheltering all over the world threatened sorts … And it is to note that every year our territory loses more than 60 000 ha of agricultural lands because of a galloping urbanization. It is so necessary to act quickly to protect our natural patrimony and this international year is an occasion to act to protect biodiversity.

In front of importance of natural patrimony our country undertook from the 60s to protect it. The first politics of protection were for the main thing based on the protection of the circles and sorts called remarkable, that is symbolic of a region or a culture. In 2002 France ratified in the Summit for the Earth of Johannesburg agreement for the biologic variety, then in 2004 a national strategy to protect biovariety is organized. This national strategy aims at mobilization, at the recognition of the value of the biologic variety, improvement of the integration of this notion by public politics and development of the scientific knowledge.

Due to it of numerous actions were engaged well before that 2010 is declared international year of the biodiversity. This year should strengthen these actions and to launch the others of it. In October, 2010 the 190 countries which signed agreement on the biologic variety of which France will meet themselves in Japan to make a point over this year and to set up the actions of " after 2010 ".

It's time to act!

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The biodiversity in Provence

Provence and the luxurious landscapes, Provence and the protected natural spaces, Provence and the multiple faces … The reputation of this ground of reception should not be made any more and the number important of coming persons every year to spend their holidays in Provence confirms only the incredible wealth of its patrimony.

Nature lovers do not make a mistake there, in Provence there is of what to make. Numerous hikking in magic decorations, on meeting Birds of Provence. Or still to leave in the discovery of calanques of Cassis, gorges du Verdon, Pink flamingo from Camargue, pretty perched villages of Luberon…and so other things to be seen …

Because biovariety it is also according to the agreement on the biologic variety the protection of local knowledges, because ways of life called traditional have an approach of the durable often very interesting management of their environment. Preservation of the countryside is inextricable of the evolution of the society, so the evolution of economic activities.

While by taking into account this problem, the Natura 2000 network was born. The method of this network is naturally the conservation of our environment but by taking into account economic and social preoccupations of the autochthons. Provence counts an important surface of these zones protected with the Natura 2000 network as Mont Ventoux for exemple.

In 1972 program man and biosphere (MAB) is launched, purpose being to create reserves of biosphere worldwide in key places at the level of the biovariety. This day it exists worldwide 553 of these reserves distributed in 107 countries and the French territory (metropolis and Dom Tom) in account 10. On these 10 french reserves of biosphere 3 are situated in Provence : Luberon, Mont Ventoux and the Camargue.

Come to spend your holidays in Provence and leave the discovery of these beautiful protected natural spaces

Don't wait to prepare your holidays : accommodation Provence