In the last days of the International Year of Biodiversity, Friends of the Earth Switzerland has submitted a petition to the Swiss parliament and government, signed by almost 30,000 people. The petition calls for more governance on issues of biodiversity and nature protection.
The large number of signatures collected in five months by Friends of the Earth Switzerland and environmental groups illustrates citizens’ unwillingness to accept authorities neglecting their basic duties to stop the destruction of our planet.
The Swiss government, which has failed to achieve its international commitment to stop biodiversity loss by 2010, is showing that it now wants to save more money, at the expense of nature. The petition calls for allocation of significantly more state resources to the issue of biodiversity, as well as a comprehensive and efficient national biodiversity strategy – an obligation for every Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) party – yet still unmet by Switzerland.
Friends of the Earth Switzerland is aiming to make the topic of biodiversity a more discussed topic among the public and in schools. Attractions including the ‘Ark of Biodiversity’, a wooden vessel showing many various representations of endangered species made by children, and a stunning photography exhibition to illustrate the links between biodiversity and people.
