Statement

Message from Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the Occasion of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Day

The 100,000 islands of the world represent more than 600 million people, one quarter of the nations of the world, 16 per cent of the planet’s known plant species and more than half of the world’s tropical marine biodiversity. The richness of these unique ecosystems is under attack. Thirty per cent of the world’s coral reefs are severely damaged, and 60 per cent may be lost by 2030. Half of the species lost in the world have been island species. There is an urgent need to address biodiversity loss in these unique ecosystems.

Publication Date
2006-05-05