Cali, Colombia- On International Day against Climate Change [1], Greenpeace Andino activists and volunteers put together a 8.5 x 8.5 metre puzzle in the Pan-American Park – also known as the Flag Park – calling on world leaders at the UN Biodiversity COP16 to act without delay against the devastating effects on biodiversity and climate and work together to solve the biodiversity crisis.

Photos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library. 

“Nature does not wait” was the message displayed on a banner in front of the 121-piece puzzle, displaying illustrations of Colombian species such as the spectacled bear, the golden frog, the jaguar, the hummingbird or the frailejones. A second banner held the phrase “Action for Nature Now”, accompanied by the Inírida flower, the symbol of COP16.

Estefanía González, Deputy Director, Campaigns, Greenpeace Andino said: “Biodiversity and the communities that inhabit ecosystems play a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate. The levels of biodiversity loss are alarming and threaten the stability of the ecosystems on which hundreds of species and people depend. In Colombia, it is estimated that around 1,200 species are threatened. Joint action to face both crises is crucial and urgent, because nature does not wait, and neither does climate action. That is why it is so important that during this COP there are decisions that strengthen the synergies between climate action and biodiversity action.”

ENDS

Contact:

Gaby Flores, Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace International, [email protected], +12144543871

Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

Notes: 

1. The International Day Against Climate Change is commemorated every October 24 to alert about the devastating effects of climate change on the planet, as a consequence of human action.