Committee: United Nations Environment Programme
Topic: Biodiversity and City Construction
Country: Gabon
School: Northwest University Since the Industrial Revolution, the urban population is growing and city limit is continues to expand.Serious pollution, over-development, uncontrolled exploitation of resources is leading to the city and the surrounding ecological environment has been seriously damaged.Forest opened up to cropland, the number of wild species declining, more and more endangered species, drought, water pollution, as well as biological invasions, biological diversity is being destroyed, the human living environment being a far cry from with the front.Biodiversity is the protection of human survival, as well as the growth and prosperity of the neceary conditions of those things in nature.Countries over the world have recognized the importance of biodiversity, and government through positive research find out the conflicts between biodiversity and the old ways of city construction.
In 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, UNCED around the theme of environment and development in safeguarding the sovereignty and the right to development of developing countries, on the fundamental problems of the developed countries to provide financial and technical arduous negotiations.Final adoption of the 《Rio Declaration》 《Agenda 21 》and 《The Declaration of Principles on Forests》, and signing of an international legally binding 《Convention on Biological Diversity》.Through the Article 8 “In-situ Conservation”, Article 9 Ex-si tu Conservation, Article 10 Sustainable Use of Components of Biological Diversity of CBD, it can be seeing the degree of attention of the United Nations for the biological diversity and ecological environmental protection.
Gabon\'s forest coverage rate as high as 85%, and has other mineral resources, such as oil, manganese ore, and iron ore.The government of Gabon pays attention to the problem between biological and city construction.Gabon not only being active participation in international affairs such as took part in the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), but also based on the actual situation according to the national then took appropriate measures.Gabon worked with Smithsonian Institution to
explore a better way to develop the biodiversity program.Gabon also has a program with WWF, called “On the Ground in Gabon - the Gamba Complex”.Because of the poor farmland (2% of Gabon’s land area) and slowly speed of urbanization, the
problem of city construction in Gabon is not obvious.But Gabon called on that all the countries should to respect the natural and protect the natural, so that to create the sustainable development of cities.
Above all, Gabon suggests:
1.Establishment of nature reserves, especially those places which have a large number of animal resources, plant resources and mineral resources.Protect the endangered species and genetic diversity in the local place, in order to restoring original ecosystem.
2.Build and protect the “green infrastructure” in order to promote the evolution sustainable livelihoods and general wellbeing of their citizens all over the Africa.
3.Gabon has prosperous mineral export industry, so Gabon will pay more attention on controlling the poisonous wastes.Such as tax to the manufacturer to pay the ultimate cost of the product handled, ban the production of non-recyclable containers.
4.In the proce of urban planning protect the ecological resources.Make good publicity to residents.
5.As a developing country in central area of Africa, Gabon called on for financial help from developed countries and those powerful developing countries.The
world belongs to everybody, and each country should get together to make a better life.
