International Day for Biological Diversity – 22nd May

Most international observance days pass without many people noticing. The International Day for Biological Diversity is one that genuinely shouldn’t. The loss of species and ecosystems is happening at a pace that scientists describe as unprecedented in human history — and unlike many environmental problems, it’s largely invisible to most people until it’s too late to reverse.

It covers what biodiversity day is about, why it matters for ordinary people, what happens on 22 May each year, and what biodiversity day 2026 is expected to focus on.

What the International Day for Biological Diversity Is

The international day for biological diversity is observed every year on 22 May. The United Nations established the date to mark the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)  The Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the three Rio Conventions adopted Earth Summit — alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention to Combat Desertification. Of the three, biodiversity gets the least public attention despite being no less critical.

The day is coordinated by the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Events, campaigns, and awareness programmes run across member states, schools, NGOs, research institutions, and local governments on and around 22 May each year.

What Biodiversity Actually Means — and Why It Matters

Biodiversity isn’t just about rare species that most people will never see. It’s about the full web of life that makes the systems we depend on function at all.

Biological diversity covers three levels:

• Genetic diversity — the variation within a species that allows it to adapt over time
• Species diversity — the variety of different species within an ecosystem
• Ecosystem diversity — the range of different ecosystems, from wetlands to forests to grasslands, each supporting different forms of life

When any of these levels deteriorates, it creates knock-on effects that run through the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the medicines we use. An estimated 75 percent of global food crops depend on animal pollination. Over 3 billion people rely on fish as a primary protein source.

The Scale of What’s Being Lost

This is the part that makes international biodiversity day necessary, and urgent. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), approximately 1 million animal and plant species currently face extinction — many within decades. The global rate of species extinction is now estimated to be tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10 million years.

The five main drivers of biodiversity loss are land-use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species. Of these, land-use change — converting forests, grasslands, and wetlands to agriculture and urban development — is the single largest driver.

India’s situation is significant. The country is one of 17 “megadiverse” nations, hosting more than 7 to 8 percent of all recorded species globally despite covering only 2.4 percent of the earth’s surface. The Western Ghats and the northeastern hill states are biodiversity hotspots of global significance.

How International Biodiversity Day Is Observed

The 22 May biodiversity day is marked across many countries through events that range from government ceremonies to community plantation drives, school programmes, and scientific conferences.

The UN Secretariat of the CBD selects a theme each year. That theme shapes the global conversation and the types of events and communications that countries and organisations focus on around the date.

Typical activities on and around 22 May biodiversity day include:

• Government-led events at national and state levels, including policy announcements and conservation recognitions
• Plantation and habitat restoration drives by NGOs, schools, and local bodies
• Workshops and seminars in universities and research institutions
• Community awareness walks through forests, wildlife sanctuaries, and wetlands
• Photography and art competitions focused on local biodiversity
• Media campaigns highlighting specific threatened species or ecosystems

In India, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Biodiversity Authority typically coordinate national-level events. State biodiversity boards and environmental NGOs run regional programmes.

The Annual Theme and What It Signals

Each year’s biodiversity day theme focuses attention on a specific dimension of the biodiversity challenge — sometimes the policy angle, sometimes the human wellbeing angle, sometimes the connection to climate.

Recent themes have included:

• 2022: Building a shared future for all life
• 2023: From agreement to action: build back biodiversity
• 2024: Be part of the plan
• 2025: Harmony with nature and sustainable development

The theme for biodiversity day 2026 will be confirmed by the CBD Secretariat in the months ahead. Based on the trajectory of recent themes, it’s expected to continue emphasising the connection between biodiversity and human communities, and the role of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022 in shaping national action.

Why the Kunming-Montreal Framework Matters Right Now

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at CBD COP15 in December 2022, is sometimes called the “Paris Agreement for biodiversity.” It sets out a series of global targets for 2030 — the most prominent being the “30×30” target: protecting 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030.

This Framework gives biodiversity day a specific implementation context for the rest of this decade. Each year’s international biodiversity day observance becomes a checkpoint — how much progress has been made? Which countries are on track? What policies need to accelerate?

What Ordinary People Can Actually Do

This is where observances can feel frustrating — the scale of the problem is global, and what any one person does seems negligible. But the connection between individual choices and biodiversity loss is real, even if it operates through systems that feel distant.

A few things that genuinely make a difference at the individual level:

• Food choices — reducing meat consumption, particularly beef and industrial chicken, lowers the demand for land-use conversion that drives deforestation
• Avoiding single-use plastics — plastic pollution directly harms marine biodiversity and freshwater ecosystems
• Supporting local and organic farming — reducing chemical pesticide and fertiliser use protects soil biodiversity and pollinators
• Planting native species — gardens and balconies planted with native plants support local insects, birds, and other species better than ornamental exotics
• Refusing products linked to deforestation — palm oil, certain timbers, and some soy products are linked to significant habitat destruction
• Engaging with local biodiversity bodies — every state in India has a State Biodiversity Board and local Biodiversity Management Committees that ordinary citizens can participate in

Biodiversity and India’s Traditional Knowledge Systems

One aspect of international biodiversity day that’s particularly relevant for India is the connection between biodiversity and traditional knowledge. India has thousands of years of documented knowledge about medicinal plants, agricultural varieties, and ecological relationships built up by farming communities, tribal groups, and traditional healers.

This knowledge is itself a form of biodiversity heritage — and it’s disappearing at roughly the same rate as the species it describes. The Convention on Biological Diversity explicitly recognises the rights of local communities over biological resources and related traditional knowledge, and India’s Biological Diversity Act 2002 attempts to protect this.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is the International Day for Biological Diversity?

The international day for biological diversity is observed every year on 22 May. The date marks the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 22 May 1992 at the Nairobi Conference. It has been observed annually since 1993 and is coordinated by the UN Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

2. What is the theme for biodiversity day 2026?

The theme for biodiversity day 2026 will be announced by the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat ahead of 22 May 2026. Recent themes have focused on implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the connection between biodiversity and human wellbeing.

3. Why is 22 May observed as biodiversity day?

The 22 May biodiversity day date was chosen to mark the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity on that date in 1992 at the Nairobi Conference. The Convention entered into force in December 1993, and the observance was shifted from 29 December to 22 May in 2001 to allow more opportunities for practical educational activities.

4. How serious is biodiversity loss compared to climate change?

Scientists increasingly regard biodiversity loss and climate change as twin crises — each making the other worse. Healthy ecosystems act as carbon sinks. Loss of forests and wetlands accelerates warming, which in turn accelerates species extinction. The IPBES has warned that biodiversity loss poses a risk to human civilisation comparable to climate change, yet it receives significantly less public and media attention.

5. How can students and schools participate in international biodiversity day?

Schools can participate through plantation drives using native species, biodiversity audits of school grounds and surroundings, presentations on local species and ecosystems, visits to wildlife sanctuaries or botanical gardens, and connecting with local State Biodiversity Board programmes.