 International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated annually on May 22, is geared towards increasing the understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year's theme, were part of the solution, was chosen to be a continuation of the momentum generated in 2020. Under the overarching theme, our solutions are in nature, which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges. Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS's technical specialists in the Environment and Sustainability Division, General Gabriel, stated that humans depend on biodiversity for a number of things, including food, shelter and livelihoods, and sometimes it is hard to maintain the balance. We rely on these resources, so we need trees to build our homes, we need clean water to bathe and to drink, and so sometimes we have over exploited some of these resources, sometimes we have bad farming practices which deplete our soils of the nutrients which we need, it depletes it of some of those beneficial viruses and bacteria and microorganisms which we need. So our actions have sometimes had impacts on biodiversity and so that's why we can come in now and be the solution by changing our own human behavior. From nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon which humans can build back better. Acting Chief Forestry Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and Cooperatives, Alwyn Donnelly explained that programs have been put in place to preserve biodiversity. The Forestry Department has had this program of selective harvesting, for example you know in the forest you know people who were into housemaking and timber production went into selective harvesting so there were certain criteria that we would use to be able to sell trees. If the species had been, we had found that it had been over harvested then you know in certain locations we would not remove remaining individuals you know. We would also look at the topographic area, how close it is you know to water sources and even has been so specific that if you remove one tree what damage that it will cause you know to the micro climate so we did those things. Biodiversity looks at the human well-being in the present and in the future and its rapid decline threatens nature and people alike. According to the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in 2019 by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at UNESCO, the main global drivers of biodiversity loss are climate change, invasive species, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution and urbanization. From the Government Information Service, I am Genelle Norville.