EduVentures lectures Lüderitz primary school pupils on biodiversity

A group of fifteen primary school pupils at Lüderitz in the //Kharas region were trained on Monday and yesterday about the importance of biodiversity and why it should be conserved and used in a sustainable manner.

The training, conducted by EduVentures Trust Namibia, was aimed at preparing the pupils to make a presentation at the 2024 International Day for Biodiversity (IDB) set to take place at Lüderits today.

EduVentures Trust environmental educator Tauno Iipinge, who presented the lectures, says biodiversity includes all forms of life on earth, which include all species, genes and ecosystems human beings depend on for their livelihoods.

He reminded the pupils that Lüderitz is located in the Succulent Karoo biome, as the area an abundance of succulent plants.
These plants include the quiver tree (Aloe dichoma) and the elephants trunk (Pachypodium namaquanum).

The pupils were also taught about habitats, population, community and about the new development of green hydrogen in Namibia, as Lüderitz is one of the sites considered for the production of green hydrogen.

The pupils come from three primary schools at Lüderitz, namely Helene van Ryn Primary School, Diaz Primary School and Nautilus Primary School.

EduVentures Trust Namibia comedian Fernando Phillipe says the pupils’ presentation will be delivered in a drama format and will be based on the 2024 International Biodiversity Action Day theme, which is ‘Be Part of the Plan’, which serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by supporting the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework.

International Day for Biodiversity (IDB) is held globally on 22 May every year to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreement on 22 May 1992 and to provide an opportunity to foster support for the convention, its protocols and related action frameworks.

The CBD is one of three global environmental agreements adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

Its objectives include the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the commercial utilisation of genetic resources and related traditional knowledge.

2024 is expected to increase global efforts to address biodiversity loss in the lead-up to the 16th Conference of the Parties to the CBD, to be held in Colombia from 21 October to 1 November this year.