On the occasion of the International Day for Biodiversity celebrated on 22 May and whose theme this year is "Our Solutions are in Nature", UNESCO has produced five panel discussions between world-renowned experts in which they debate issues related to biodiversity.

Among the topics discussed is the link between the poor management of ecosystems and the risks of transmission of contagious diseases, including the risk of a pandemic. The outbreak of Covid-19 illustrates this connection in a dramatic and global way.

The five online discussions focus on the following themes:

• Links between coronavirus and biodiversity: the scientific evidence;
• Focusing on what connects us - what are our shared values?
• What changes are needed?
• What are the possible ways to regenerate ecosystems and restore our connections to living things?
• Sharing solutions from nature.

“Solutions exist. UNESCO is identifying them, analyzing them and, above all, making them known,” stressed UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a message on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity.

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For more information: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/biodiversityday