International Day of the Tropics 2021: History, significance and all you need to know

The International Day of the Tropics is observed on June 29, every year to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of the tropics while highlighting unique challenges and opportunities nations of the Tropics face. It provides an opportunity to take stock of progress across the tropics, to share tropical stories and expertise, and to acknowledge the diversity and potential of the region.

The Tropics are a region of the Earth, roughly defined as the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. They receive sunlight that is more direct and are generally hotter and wetter with little seasonal change in day-to-day temperature. The prevalence of rain in the moist inner regions near the equator is an important feature of the Tropics. The tropical region faces several challenges such as climate change, urbanisation, deforestation, logging, and demographic changes.

International Day of the Tropics: History

As per the United Nations blog, the inaugural State of the Tropics Report was launched on June 29, 2014, as the culmination of a collaboration between twelve leading tropical research institutions. To mark the anniversary of the launch of the report, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/267 in 2016. The resolution declared that June 29 of each year is to be observed as the International Day of the Tropics.

Interesting facts about Tropics:

The Tropics host nearly 95 per cent of the world’s mangrove forests by area and 99 per cent of mangrove species.

The Tropics have just over half of the world’s renewable water resources (54 per cent), yet almost half their population is considered vulnerable to water stress.

Biodiversity is greater in the Tropics — however, loss of biodiversity is also greater in the Tropics than in the rest of the world.

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