Biodiversity-Rich Marine Areas in Focus as Countries Renew Efforts to Curb Species Loss
Hyderabad
(India), 20 October 2012 - The world's Governments have agreed to
increase funding in support of actions to halt the rate of loss of
biodiversity at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which ended
today.
Developed
countries agreed to double funding to support efforts in developing
States towards meeting the internationally-agreed Biodiversity Targets,
and the main goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
The
Sargasso Sea, the Tonga archipelago and key corals sites off the coast
of Brazil are among a range of marine areas to receive special attention
by Governments as part of
renewed efforts agreed in Hyderabad to sustainably manage the world's
oceans. Many of the areas are beyond national jurisdictions and, as
such, receive little or no protection at present.
Other
key decisions taken include new measures to factor biodiversity into
environmental impact assessments linked to infrastructure and other
development projects in marine and coastal areas.
Braulio
Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on
Biological Diversity, said: "These results, coming in a period of
economic crisis, demonstrate that the world is committed to implementing
the CBD. We see that Governments are moving forward in implementation
and seeing biodiversity as an opportunity to be realized more than a
problem to be solved." "We
now need to move forward in the next two years, under the able
leadership of India, the COP 11 President, to consolidate this work and
to advance further. I look forward to other pledges in support of the
Hyderabad call for Biodiversity Champions that will allow us to realize
our goals", he said.
Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan,
Minister of Environment and Forests for India, and President of the COP
said: "The present economic crisis should not deter us, but, on the
contrary, encourage us to invest more towards amelioration of the
natural capital for ensuring uninterrupted ecosystem services, on which
all life on earth depends."
"The
UN Biodiversity Conference in Hyderabad has taken forward the renewed
momentum, forged two years ago in Nagoya," said United Nations
Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme Executive Director
Achim Steiner.
"Countries have sent a clear signal and delivered additional commitments underlining the fact that biodiversity and
ecosystems are a development priority and central to a transition to an inclusive Green Economy," added Mr. Steiner.
"Mobilizing
the necessary financial resources from the public and private sector
needed to ensure achievement of the 2020 targets remains a challenge --
but here in India, many nations including developing economies have
signalled their determination and sense of urgency to seize the
opportunities by providing much needed additional support," said Mr.
Steiner.
Agreements on Funding
Developed
countries agreed at the Conference to increase funding to support
efforts in developing States towards meeting the Aichi Biodiversity
Targets.
Using
a baseline figure of the average annual national spending on
biodiversity between 2006 and 2010, developed countries said they would
double funding by 2015. The COP also set targets to increase the number
of countries that have included biodiversity in their national
development plans, and prepared national financial plans for
biodiversity, by 2015.
All Parties agreed to substantially increase domestic expenditures for biodiversity protection over the same
period. These targets, and progress towards them, will be reviewed in 2014.
For
the first time, developing countries at COP 11, including India and
several African States, pledged additional funds above and beyond their
core funding towards the work of the CBD.
Marine Biodiversity
The
193
Parties to the CBD agreed to classify a diverse list of marine areas,
some renowned for containing "hidden treasures" of the plant and animal
world, as ecologically or biologically significant.
Earlier
this week, UNEP launched its Protected Planet 2012 report which found
that half of the world's richest biodiversity zones remain entirely
unprotected -- despite a 60 per cent increase in the number of protected
areas since 1990.
To
meet the Aichi Biodiversity Target of ensuring that 10 per cent of
marine areas are protected by 2020, says the UNEP report, an additional 8
million square kilometres of marine and coastal areas would need to be
recognized as protected -- an area just over the size of Australia.
Parties
to the Convention also called for more research into the potential
adverse effects of underwater noise from ships on marine and coastal
biodiversity, and highlighted growing concerns regarding marine litter.
It also recognized the challenge of climate change impacts on coral
reefs, which, Parties agreed, will require significant investment to
overcome.
There
was also a call to fisheries management bodies to play a stronger role
in addressing the impacts of fisheries on biodiversity.
The
series of agreements at COP 11 on oceans and coasts builds on the
commitment of countries made at the United Nations Rio+20 summit in June
to protect and restore marine ecosystems and to maintain their
biodiversity.
National Biodiversity Plans
Much
of the COP 11 negotiations revolved around practical and financial
support for countries in implementing national biodiversity plans to
meet the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity
Targets.
In
reviewing global progress in implementing such measures, the COP
reaffirmed the need for enhanced technical and scientific cooperation
among countries, while underlining the potential for enhanced
cooperation among developing countries.
To
support such efforts, a new National Biodiversity Strategies and Action
Plans Forum (NBSAP Forum) was launched at COP11 by UNEP, CBD, the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Development Programme
(UNDP). The online forum provides easy-to-access, targeted information
such as best practices, guidelines and learning tools for countries.
UNEP's
Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Initiative also
presented a series of practical guides for Governments at COP 11 for
integrating the economic, social and cultural value of ecosystems into
national biodiversity plans.
COP
11 also agreed to a number of measures to engage the main economic
sectors, such as business and development organizations, to integrate
biodiversity objectives in their plans and programmes.
Biodiversity, Forests and Climate Change
The
COP called for enhanced collaboration between the CBD and UN climate
change initiatives including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation (REDD+)
Given
that forests are home to more than half of all terrestrial species,
initiatives such as REDD+, where developing countries can receive
payments for carbon offsets for
their standing forests, can potentially help achieve international
biodiversity targets, as well as those concerned with cutting carbon
emissions.
The
decision covers technical advice on the conservation of forests,
sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon
stocks.
However,
the COP also noted discussions around the need for biodiversity
safeguards relating to REDD+ and similar incentives. Actions such as
afforestation in areas of high biodiversity value, or the conversion of
natural forests to plantations, for example, may have adverse impacts on
biodiversity.
A
parallel summit of Cities and Local Authorities was convened with the
support of ICLEI. Participants adopted the
Hyderabad Declaration on Subnational Governments, Cities and other
Local Authorities for Biodiversity, which supports the work of cities to
achieve the Global Strategy for Biodiversity and calls for greater
coordination between levels of government.
Other COP 11 decisions:
The
Conference welcomed the establishment of the Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
earlier this year and recognized the potential contribution it could
make to enhance the effectiveness of the Convention. COP requested IPBES
to contribute to assessments of the achievement of the Aichi
Biodiversity Targets. It was decided that the Convention's Subsidiary
Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its next
meeting would provide additional explanatory information on the tasks
requested from IPBES and that it would convey this information to IPBES
before the its second plenary meeting at the end of 2013.
A
decision on Article 8(j), relating to indigenous and local
communities was adopted which provided a major component of work on
customary sustainable use. The decision also advanced three tasks that
may contribute to the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol including
Guidelines related to prior informed consent, mutually agreed terms and
others.
Governments
also provided guidance to the preparations for the entry into force of
the Nagoya Protocol and agreed that a third meeting of the
Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol will be needed in
the upcoming two years. It was further urged to complete a number of
tasks in advance of entry into force in a timely manner.
The
Conference also saw the launch of the Hyderabad Call for Biodiversity
Champions. The programme will accept pledges from Governments and
organizations in support of the
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. The Government of India this week
committed over $50 million as part of the programme.
The
Global Environment Facility, the financial mechanism of the Convention,
for the first time, was provided with an assessment of the financial
resources required to meet the needs of developing countries for
implementing the Convention.
About the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
Opened
for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and
entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological
Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of
biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and
the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic
resources. With 193 Parties, the Convention has near universal
participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all
threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from
climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of
tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good
practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders
including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the
business community. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a subsidiary
agreement to the Convention. It seeks to protect biological diversity
from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting
from modern biotechnology. To date, 164 countries plus the European
Union have ratified the Cartagena Protocol. The Secretariat of the
Convention and its Cartagena Protocol is located in Montreal. For more
information visit: www.cbd.int
About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Established
in 1972, UNEP is the voice for the environment within the United
Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and
facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the
global environment. UNEP works with a wide range of partners, including
United Nations entities, international organizations, national
governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and
civil society. UNEP work encompasses assessing global, regional and
national environmental conditions and trends; developing international
and national environmental instruments; strengthening institutions for
the wise
management of the environment; facilitating the transfer of knowledge
and technology for sustainable development; and encouraging new
partnerships and mind-sets within civil society and the private sector.
For more information, visit: www.unep.org
UNEP presented the following reports at CBD COP11:
