Living Planet Foundation celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity

In what is believed to be a global first, Hindus worldwide met in LondonSaturday (May 22) to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB). The event, convened by the Living Planet Foundation of the USA, is supported by numerous Hindu and environmental organisations and is titled ‘Sacred Dimensions of Biodiversity’.

“Thousands of years ago, Hindu sages realised we needed to preserve our environment and maintain ecological balance to ensure the survival of life on earth,” says Kusum Vyas, Founder of the Living Planet Foundation. “Hindus believe all life is sacred, so we must challenge issues such as development projects that cause mass species extinction and loss of biodiversity.”

Top of the agenda will be the threat to the Gulf of Mannar, the shallow stretch of water separating Indiafrom Sri Lanka. The Indian government plans to build a shipping channel through the shallow waters, one of the last remaining intact ecosystems of its kind on earth, and the site of Adam’s Bridge or Ram Sethu, a sacred site for Hindus.

“We cannot stand idly by and allow our fragile environment to be defiled in this way,” insists Mrs. Vyas. “Hindus must play a much stronger role in fighting what amounts to an act of terrorism against Nature and against a sacred site.”