Germany

This year's IBD took place during the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD held in Bonn. There was not only a topical programme for delegates but also for the interested public.

Green Wave – Global biodiversity campaign on biodiversity
The Green Wave contributed to worldwide celebrations of the IBD. The German Federal Environment Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, the CBD Executive Secretary, Ahmed Djoghlaf, together with Prof. Beate Jessel, President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, and Bärbel Dieckmann, Mayor of Bonn, met with pupils to plant a locally important tree in a central park in Bonn on 22 May. They gave the start signal for a figurative “green wave” travelling around the world.

Joint Press Statement of the Federal Environment Minister with the State Secretary for Agriculture in the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection on this year´s IBD topic “Biodiversity and Agriculture”. Both emphasized that sustainable agriculture is important not only for the conservation of biodiversity but also for the global food supply and sustainable employment in the agricultural sector.

An evening plenary was dedicated to celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity, focusing on biodiversity and agriculture. Several high-level speakers, among them representatives from UNEP and UNCCD as well as Robert Watson, Director of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), gave statements.

Numerous COP side-events organised by various stakeholders had been devoted to this theme, such as excursions, movie screenings, lectures and discussion meetings on the Conference site as well as throughout the city.