Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) held a seminar on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22.

The date is a United Nations-sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. Biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity. All of the species have a big role in the ecosystem, regardless of their size, and a diverse ecosystem can prevent and recover from many disasters.

The seminar took place in the IDEA Resource Center at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan and involved more than 20 young people with special interest in the environment and protection of biodiversity.

Chairman of the Azerbaijan Ornithological Society Elchin Sultanov participated in the event as an expert.

The seminar was conducted interactively and featured interesting discussions. The speakers said that currently there are more than 15 million living species in the world and hundreds of them perish every day.

It was noted at the event that humanity is damaged a lot due to these losses. If no action is taken for the protection of the underwater world, more than half of the plant and animal species could face the threat of extinction by 2100.

After the seminar, birdhouses made according to a winner sketch of the "Birdhouse design" competition announced in May 2012 by the IDEA campaign were installed in the Philharmonic Garden in the center of Baku.

The IDEA campaign is dedicated to awareness on safeguarding biodiversity by creating a regional and international cooperation network for environmental protection.

IDEA has been promoting innovative approaches to the solution of environmental problems since its inception on July 12, 2011 by the Vice President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

IDEA is based on the principles of dialogue, action, leadership and education -- all essential components for equipping a generation to foster positive and sustainable environmental change. The campaign is mainly focusing on the power of youth and considers it as an important tool to change the way we behave and consume our surrounding natural world.

The Campaign mission includes creation of a real and virtual community of young people regionally and internationally, with a shared passion for the environment, nurturing virtual community through an open dialogue which provides information, inspiration and practical calls for environmental actions, as well as empowering each member of the community to become an ambassador and leader for local environmental awareness and action.