KUNMING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Zhaparov said Tuesday that his country is keen on protecting its mountain biodiversity in the face of climate change.
"For 30 years Kyrgyzstan remains an active promoter of the interests of mountain countries in the international arena in order to solve the issues of sustainable development and climate change influence," Zhaparov said in a video address to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
The conference, known as COP15, kicked off Monday in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The first part of the meeting will last until Friday, with parallel activities featuring forums on topics including climate change and ecological conservation. The second part of the meeting, which is expected to be held next year, will review and make a decision on the "post-2020 global biodiversity framework," a blueprint for biodiversity conservation for the next decade.
In Kyrgyzstan, about 95 percent of the land is covered by mountains. "We are acting together with the interested states to conduct adaptive measures to protect mountain biodiversity," Zhaparov said.
He also announced a five-year program to ensure the sustainable development of mountain regions.
"Kyrgyzstan is open and ready for active international cooperation, and only by joint efforts we could preserve the biodiversity of our planet and achieve desirable sustainable development in harmony with the environment," Zhaparov said. Enditem
