Environment days calendar

This is commemorated in all the provinces and districts throughout the country through activities such as firefighting demonstra-tions, competitions, debates and Press conferences.
May 22 – International Day for Biological Diversity: The term biodiversity is given to the variety of plant, animal life, and micro-organisms, on Earth and the different ecosystems in which they live.
There has been an increase in the loss of the Earth’s biological diversity and this day has been set aside to increase public awareness of the importance and value of biological diversity.
To date 1,8 million species have been identified, although the total number of species is unknown.
It is the combination of these species and their interactions with each other and the environment that has made the Earth a uniquely habitable place.
June 5 – World Environment Day (WED): WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
This conference resulted in the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Humans have the most impact on our environment. The nature and extent of this impact depends on factors such as the type of economic activity, distribution of wealth and resources, cultural values and lifestyles.
WED aims to encourage people to become active supporters of sustainable and equitable living, to promote awareness and an understanding that communities play a central role in changing attitudes towards environmental issues, and to develop partnerships that will ensure all nations and people enjoy a safer and more fulfilling future.
17 June – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: The United Nations General Assembly acknowledge that desertification and drought are a global problem as they affect all regions of the world and require joint commitment of individuals and organizations to work together in minimising this problem.
On June 17 1994, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was proclaimed.
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions that are a result of climatic variations and human activities.
Some of the most obvious impacts are increase in poverty, degradation of arable land, and thus decreasing the human and animal carrying-capacity, the loss of valuable top soil resulting in the decline of soil fertility and breakdown of soil structure and the degradation of irrigated croplands and low crop productivity.
September 16 – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer: The Montreal Protocol was adopted on 16 September 1987.
Governments agreed to co-operate in phasing out chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.
The invisible layer in the atmosphere protects the Earth from harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun.
Should these ultra-violet rays reach Earth by passing through the thinning ozone layer, skin cancer and damage to crops will increase.
Ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluoro-carbons, methyl bromine, to mention a few, are pollutants used all over the world.
There has been an attempt by manufacturers of products releasing these pollutants to produce “ozone friendly” products.
By celebrating this day, we are reminded of the necessity to live in ways that do not contribute to the depletion of this vital and essential layer of the atmosphere that shields the Earth.
It also gives individuals and organisations time to reflect on what progress has been made to combat this environment threat.
December – National Tree Planting Day: The first Saturday of December each year is a year when all citizens of Zimbabwe participate in tree planting activities, and marks the beginning of the tree planting season up to the end of summer. This day commenced in 1980 and it is a national and patriotic duty for every individual to take part in tree planting and care activities.