Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Infrastructure, Environment and Town Planning, said on Friday, June 5, that Monaco is playing its part in protecting and promoting biodiversity, the theme of this year’s World Environment Day.

“It is important to draw the attention of as many people as possible to this biodiversity which all too often we ignore. This day invites us to do so and I welcome it. Saving species is a priority. In the latest edition of the World Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), out of more than 116,000 species studied, more than 31,000 are classified as threatened. Among these species, 41 percent of amphibians, 14 percent of birds and 25 percent of mammals are threatened with extinction worldwide.

“We also know the major role of pollinators like bees on our diet. According to the National Union of French Beekeepers (UNAF), out of the 100 most cultivated food plants in the world, 71 are pollinated only by bees, which are increasingly threatened.

“Today, we are working with the Environment Department to implement a National Biodiversity Strategy (SNB) by Horizon 2030. Our objectives are to strengthen the place of nature in the city in order to improve the living environment and adapt our territory to climate change – improvement of air quality, fight against heat islands, and the development of open-air spaces.”

She added that this is an important programme that Monaco will carry out “with determination.”

HSH Prince Albert has said: “The fragility of humanity that we see must lead us to reflect on our priorities and at the forefront of them, to reinvent our relationship with nature.”

SOURCE: Monaco Government Press Service