International Plant Protection Convention Joins Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions

Montreal, 12 September 2014 – The Secretary to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has become the seventh member of the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG), which includes the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the World Heritage Convention (WHC).

The invitation to join the BLG was extended to the IPPC at the ninth ordinary meeting of the BLG, held on 16 August 2014 in Kartause Ittingen, Switzerland, during which information was presented by the IPPC Secretariat about the contribution of the convention to biodiversity.

“The work of the IPPC is complementary to implementation of each of the biodiversity-related conventions” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary for the Convention on Biological Diversity. “We are glad to have the IPPC as a member of the liaison group, as we all work towards achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.”

The IPPC, the Secretariat of which is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, sets International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), many of which are applicable to actions taken by Parties to the biodiversity-related conventions to prevent the introduction and spread of pests of plants through various pathways such as international trade. The ISPMs can be applied to address the issues related to invasive alien species in terrestrial and aquatic environments, or living modified organisms (LMOs) that may present a phytosanitary risk. The IPPC also has its own strategy and a forum for national capacity development to implement the ISPMs and other obligations under the IPPC.

Implementation of the ISPMs can support Parties to the CBD and other biodiversity-related conventions to achieve, in particular, the Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 that “by 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment”.

Furthermore, implementation of the ISPMs is important for Parties to facilitate their access to international markets, which supports economic development. Since 2005, the CBD and IPPC Secretariats have collaborated under the framework of a Memorandum of Cooperation in the areas of common concern and will further elaborate ways and means to cover the emerging needs with biodiversity concerns.

As a member of the BLG, the IPPC Secretariat can further facilitate engaging the agricultural sector and trade-related sectors to the objectives of the CBD at the international and national levels, and contribute to mainstreaming biodiversity worldwide and achieving the relevant Aichi Biodiversity Targets.