This was highlighted at a high-level session held on September 22 by the UN General Assembly. It has also been said that the preservation of biodiversity is inseparable from the fight against poverty.

The news has recently been reviewed on ambientum.com, a professional environmental portal. At the meeting, which took advantage of the presence of more than 130 heads of state and government in New York, the importance of the Convention on Biological Diversity was recalled.

Speaking at the meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that conserving the planet’s species and habitats is imperative to achieving sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals. In this regard, he added: “This year is not only the International Year of Biodiversity, it is the deadline that the international community set itself to substantially reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. We will not reach that target in 2010.”

The UN leader attributed this failure to comply with human activity, which causes deforestation, habitat changes, land degradation and climate alteration. He therefore invited world leaders to renew their commitment against biodiversity loss and urged them to stop thinking that protecting the environment is an expense.

In addition, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) took the opportunity to launch the “Year of the Bat” whose purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of the world’s only flying mammal.

UNEP pointed out that bats, which feed on insects, save millions of dollars each year for the agricultural industry, help conserve forests and, in some countries, are a major tourist attraction.

Over the next 12 months, conservation, research and education on this animal, one of the world’s most misunderstood and persecuted mammals, will be promoted, UNEP said. In addition to their relevant role in the different ecosystems, bats in urban areas can consume almost 14,000 kilos of insects in a single night.