IBC-2027

In an increasingly interconnected world, the preservation of biodiversity is no longer a local or national issue, it is a global imperative. Earth’s rich tapestry of life, from microscopic organisms to towering trees and apex predators, transcends political boundaries. However, despite the shared benefits of biodiversity, the pressures that threaten it as such deforestation, climate change, pollution, overexploitation, and habitat fragmentation are escalating, often spurred by global economic activities. However, nature put her eggs, the biodiversity, across the planet as she knows no borders. Migratory species, rivers, wind patterns, and ocean currents all traverse across human-defined territories. When one country destroys a forest, it can affect rainfall in a neighbouring nation. When one region pollutes a river, it impacts aquatic ecosystems and communities downstream. Therefore, biodiversity conservation must be collaborative, integrating cross-border data sharing, scientific research, and joint management of ecosystems. Therefore, the call to action, through IBC 2027, is clear as we must approach biodiversity conservation as a unified global mission, recognizing that ecosystems do not adhere to human-made borders.

Indian Biodiversity congress (IBC) was launched by Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA) and Navdanya (Delhi) in the international year of Biodiversity in 2010 at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) as a platform to discuss the status of biodiversity and to provide an independent platform to share knowledge of academicians, researchers, activists, civil society, planners and policy makers in this field, and to showcase the rich biodiversity of India. After the successful biannual meetings at Bangalore (Indian Institute of Science), Chennai (SRM University), Pondicherry (Central University), the IBC became International and the first International Biodiversity Congress (IBC) was held at Dehradun (Forestry Research Institute) in 2018. The present IBC 2027 is being organized in collaboration with SRM University, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The primary aim of IBC is now focussed to facilitate a shift towards ecological civilization that values, cherishes and conserves biodiversity to achieve sustainable development, both at national and international platforms.