22 May

International Day for Biological Diversity

On 22 May the UN looks at the variety of life on Earth, including the two thirds of the marine environment already changed by people.

Branching coral surrounded by schools of small reef fish near Ko Rang, Trat, Thailand — Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The International Day for Biological Diversity is held on 22 May. The United Nations set it through resolution 55/201, recognising the need for public education and awareness about biodiversity.

The pressure on nature is widespread. According to the UN, 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, out of an estimated 8 million on Earth. Human actions have significantly altered three quarters of the land-based environment and about 66 per cent of the marine environment.

For many people, ocean life is food. Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about 3 billion people. Yet only about 8 per cent of marine areas are currently protected.

Governments have agreed targets under the Kunming-Montreal framework, a global plan for nature. By 2030 they aim to protect 30 per cent of land, waters and seas and to restore 30 per cent of damaged natural areas. In August 2026, Thailand's cabinet approved a national marine and coastal resources plan that sets the same 30 per cent goal for Thai marine areas.

Readers can help in small ways: learn which seafood is caught or farmed responsibly, join a coastal survey or clean-up, and support protected areas when you travel.

Biodiversity means keeping many kinds of life alive and well. At AVALON Artisan Gallery, From Waste to Wonder starts with one of them, the green mussel. More than 50,000 tonnes of its shells are discarded in Thailand each year, and we reclaim them as MyraShell and MyraGem.