Iohannis: International collaboration is essential in fightling climate change and biodiversity loss

International collaboration is essential in fighting climate change and biodiversity loss, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, within the "Transformative Action for Nature and People" event held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, agerpres reports.

"International collaboration is essential in fighting climate change and biodiversity loss. Let us act together to protect biodiversity, sharing knowledge, technology and financial resources. I invite you to mobilise new resources of funding for nature, to support and compensate the ecosystemic service providers. Protecting and preserving biodiversity must be done in close connection with people's and communities' social and economic development," said Klaus Iohannis.

He said, in context, that Romania is getting involved and taking measures.

"Together we shall reverse the trend of biodiversity loss until 2030. Now it is time to act! Together we can stop climate change. COP26 is an important stage in this path. Romania endorses the role of leader the European Union assumed in terms of climate change and EU's ambition of reducing the effort of nature restoration, both domestically and internationally," the head of state said.

President Klaus Iohannis pointed out that Romania's biodiversity is outstanding through its richness, pointing out that the Danube Delta is a landmark of world biodiversity, hosting over 5,000 species of flora and fauna.

"Our country's biodiversity generates ecosystemic services for Romania, Europe and the entire world. These include flood control, wastewater treatment, air purification or carbon capture, all essential for the quality of life, economic and social prosperity," Iohannis explained.

He brought to mind that there is a close connection between biodiversity and climate change.

"Biodiversity loss aggravates climate change, and these, in their turn, have a negative impact on ecosystems and species. The risk thus increases for wildfires and associated biodiversity loss," Iohannis said, underscoring that Romanian firemen have been on the frontline of the international effort to extinguish wildfires and protect nature in Greece this year.

Klaus Iohannis is heading, Tuesday to Thursday, Romania's delegation to the high level segment of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, taking place in New York.