President of the Republic on Preservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Ljubljana, 2.10.2008  |  press release

The President of the Republic, Dr Danilo Türk, today attended an international conference entitled “Ecosystems – Interdependence of Living Systems”. In his address, he mentioned that, over the past 200 years, men had encroached upon nature’s capital with greed and recklessness, and had overlooked that in this way they interfere in natural processes and ecosystems which, while offering recreation and beauty, are also a source of food and biological and raw materials. Nature is our wealth, which we have used without paying the proper price for its services, and the planet is now reacting to our treatment. Dr Türk also pointed out that the price we were paying now, and would continue to pay because of the consequences of local ecological catastrophes and global climate change, was high and would only increase in the future. According to the President, reckless behaviour has in turn an adverse impact on our welfare, the quality and availability of our primary resources and thus on our health.

“It is about our development, and if we reflect on our long-term development in global terms, we must recognise that on this very front, on the frontline of environmental protection, the main battle is fought for long-term preservation of our development,” added Dr Türk. Preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems is an environmental and political issue requiring knowledge, responsibility, an integrated systems approach and awareness that the earth is an important value enabling survival and development. Developing countries will suffer most from the consequences of climate change; therefore, the responsibility to protect the environment should be our common responsibility, with diversified tasks. Dr Türk believes that the majority of environmental issues can still be resolved with concerted action under the leadership of the authorities and in co-operation with the private sector and civil society. When it is not possible to prevent global warming, we should adapt in time in order to mitigate the consequences.

The President also stressed the significance of being aware of the current situation and of prospects for the future, since only this awareness could help us carry out suitable research and adopt adequate political decisions. Partial innovations are not enough, because new solutions are needed. Without quality education as a fundamental right, members of our society will not be able to join democratic processes of sovereign decision-making and taking control over various factors leaving footprints on ecosystems and our health, as well as to participate in public debates on equality of access to natural resources and in finding integrated solutions to problems concerning preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. These are decisions about important human rights. By way of conclusion, Dr Türk said that no single element in the decision-making structure could solve the problem on its own. However, we will not be successful at the political level, and at the level of formulating all types of policies, unless our foundations are sound.