Princess Margriet emphasizes importance of nature conservation in COP27 speech

Princess Margriet believes that healthy ecosystems are of vital importance worldwide. The member of the Dutch Royal House spoke via video at a meeting affiliated with COP27 in the Egyptian city of Sharm-el-Sheikh.

“[Healthy ecosystems] protect us from danger and provide us with goods and services that are essential to our survival and prosperity. Even more so in a world with a drastically changing climate. Yet we continue to ignore and destroy these ecosystems on which they depend so much," the princess said in a video message.

The video was played at the meeting GLF Climate: Frontiers of Change, which is part of the UN climate conference COP27. As chair of the Dutch Red Cross, the princess spoke about the importance of disaster preparation and disaster prevention to reduce the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable groups.

Worldwide, various ecosystems are in danger of disappearing as a result of climate change. "Our resilience will increase significantly if these systems are protected, sustainably maintained and restored," Princess Margriet said. "But it is even more important to make people aware of the importance of nature. We have to make it clear that destroyed nature has an impact on people's lives. Otherwise we will be overtaken by events. We have to protect nature to protect humanity. "