The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on Earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives.

Visit the official website for the IYB 2010: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/

On this occasion, the Planetarium Science Center at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina will organize a series of programs and events as follows:

1- Sustainable Development Workshop

How Earth-friendly is your lifestyle? Are you a future-eater?
Sustainability means to keep something going forever. Sustainability refers to ensuring that planet EARTH and all of its resources can continue to provide a home for humans and all other species (animals and plants) forever.

Sustainability is the concept of living within our limits. Learn more about how you can take care of our planet and the creatures living on it.

2- Genetic Biodiversity Workshop

A number of biotechnological tools are used in aquaculture, e.g. molecular diagnostics, vaccines and immunostimulants, probiotics, biocontrol agents, molecular genetic markers, transgenesis, etc.
The workshop will consist of both lectures and practical sessions so that the students can get hands-on experience with the molecular techniques.

3- Marine Biodiversity Workshop

Workshop students will gather to assess the marine biodiversity of the tropical realm and identify opportunities to expand World Heritage coverage of areas of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

4- Food Chain Workshop

There will be many activities to explore food chains, as well as how animals and plants around us interact with each other.

5- Ecosystem Services Workshop

The workshop briefs children on the meaning of biodiversity and it significance in our lives, then introduces them to biodiversity’s three main levels: ecosystems, species and genetic. After exploring the concept of biodiversity, the workshop focuses on different ecosystems around the world, with emphasis on Egyptian ecosystems. Among the variety of hands-on activities is “build your own ecosystem”.

6- Al-Fayoum Camp

The aim of the camp is to develop the students thinking skills, scientific problem solving, and team work. These values are the cornerstone of building Egyptian future leaders and researchers.

7- Biodiversity Exhibition

The multilingual Biodiversity Exhibition will be divided into four sections: Insects; Genetic Biodiversity; Plants and Marine Biodiversity, with emphasis on the Egyptian environment.

Each section will include interactive exhibits, scientific banners, a scientific movie, in additional to an interactive workshop.
The Exhibition will be explained to the public by specialists.

8- Lectures

The PSC will organize a series of lectures given by experts with the aim of raising national and regional public biodiversity awareness.

P.S. Exact dates of events will be published by mid January