Biodiversity targets for 2010 - COP 6 Decision VI/26

A large number of celebrations have been organized around the globe to commemorate IYB and raise public awareness of the importance of biological diversity to human well-being. Certainly, the most important event in 2010 is the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10), in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 18 to 29 October 2010.

Strategic Issues for Evaluating Progress and Supporting Implementation of the Convention will be considered and it is anticipated that the negotiations to conclude an International Regime on Access and Benefit-sharing will result in the adoption of an instrument on Access and Benefit-Sharing.

Therefore it is important to revisit COP 6 Decision VI/26, to understand the importance of the issues that will be discussed in Nagoya. COP 6 Decision VI/26 established a STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.

1.In 2002, 10 years after Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature, the Parties have developed this Strategic Plan in order to guide its further implementation at the national, regional and global levels.

2.The purpose is to effectively halt the loss of biodiversity so as to secure the continuity of its beneficial uses through the conservation and sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

- The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing at an unprecedented rate, threatening the very existence of life as it is currently understood. The maintenance of biodiversity is a necessary condition for sustainable development, and as such constitutes one of the great challenges of the modern era.


- Addressing the threats to biodiversity requires immediate and long-term fundamental changes in the way resources are used and benefits are distributed. Achieving these adjustments will require broad-based action among a wide range of actors.


- The implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity has been impeded by many obstacles, as outlined in the appendix hereto. A fundamental challenge for the Convention lies in the broad scope of its three objectives. The need to mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources across all sectors of the national economy, the society and the policy-making framework is a complex challenge at the heart of the Convention. This will mean cooperation with many different actors, such as regional bodies and organizations. Integrated management of natural resources, based on the ecosystem approach, is the most effective way to promote this aim of the Convention.

and the following mission: "Parties commit themselves to a more effective and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention, to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth."

In order to achieve this mission, the following strategic goals and objectives have been established:

Goal 1: The Convention MUST fulfill its leadership role in international biodiversity issues, setting the global biodiversity agenda; promoting cooperation between all relevant international instruments and processes to enhance policy coherence; integration of biodiversity concerns are being integrated into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies at the regional and global levels; stimulating parties to collaborate at the regional and subregional levels to implement the Convention.


Goal 2: Parties MUST improve financial, human, scientific, technical, and technological capacity to implement the Convention


Goal 3: National biodiversity strategies and action plans and the integration of biodiversity concerns into relevant sectors MUST serve as an effective framework for the implementation of the objectives of the Convention.


Goal 4: There is a better understanding of the importance of biodiversity and of the Convention, but this MUST led to broader engagement across society in implementation. All Parties must improve the implementation of communication, education, and public awareness strategy to promote public participation in support of the Convention. Indigenous and local communities must be effectively involved in implementation and in the processes of the Convention, at national, regional and international levels. Key actors and stakeholders, including the private sector, must be engaged in partnership to implement the Convention and are integrating biodiversity concerns into their relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies.

OBSTACLES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE Convention ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

1.Political/societal obstacles

a.Lack of political will and support to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity
b.Limited public participation and stakeholder involvement
c.Lack of mainstreaming and integration of biodiversity issues into other sectors, including use of tools such as environmental impact assessments
d.Political instability
e.Lack of precautionary and proactive measures, causing reactive policies.

2.Institutional, technical and capacity-related obstacles

a.Inadequate capacity to act, caused by institutional weaknesses
b.Lack of human resources
c.Lack of transfer of technology and expertise
d.Loss of traditional knowledge
e.Lack of adequate scientific research capacities to support all the objectives.

3.Lack of accessible knowledge/information

a.Loss of biodiversity and the corresponding goods and services it provides not properly understood and documented
b.Existing scientific and traditional knowledge not fully utilized.
c.Dissemination of information on international and national level not efficient
d.Lack of public education and awareness at all levels.

4.Economic policy and financial resources

a.Lack of financial and human resources b.Fragmentation of GEF financing c.Lack of economic incentive measures d.Lack of benefit-sharing.

5.Collaboration/cooperation

a.Lack of synergies at the national and international levels
b.Lack of horizontal cooperation among stakeholders
c.Lack of effective partnerships
d.Lack of engagement of scientific community.

6.Legal/juridical impediments

a.Lack of appropriate policies and laws

7.Socio-economic factors

a.Poverty
b.Population pressure
c.Unsustainable consumption and production patterns
d.Lack of capacities for local communities.

8.Natural phenomena and environmental change

a.Climate change
b.Natural disasters