One of the primary challenges facing members of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) who are set to gather for the two-week long Conference of Parties (CoP-11), which opens in Hyderabas, India, on October 8, is the mobilization of funds for conservation and protection of the environment.
Considering the current economic crisis and the virtually global impact it has had, the CBD is slated to discuss just how it would take its work on promoting and protecting biodiversity forward over the next few years. “It will be a very difficult issue. But we are hoping we will be able to rope in private organisations, apart from national governments, to address the crisis,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Diaz, executive secretary of the CBD, listing out the primary agenda of CoP-11 at a news briefing on Saturday.
Apart from the budget, the deliberations opening next week will focus, among other things, on marine and coastal biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, climate change and conservation of protected areas. Rounds of discussions will also be held around the 20-point ‘Aichi Targets’ – drawn up at the last edition of the conference (CoP-10) in Japan.
These targets highlight the CBD’s strategic 10-year plan (2011-20) and the measures that the convention intends to implement over this period in order to arrest the loss of biodiversity, which in turn would ensure that “by 2020 ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet’s variety of life and contributing to human well-being and poverty eradication”.
“Biodiversity should not be looked at as a problem but an opportunity to create jobs and improve livelihoods. It should become the primary asset of countries who must work towards the sustainable development of biodiversity,” Diaz said. adding, “Indigenous communities in countries with key biodiversity reserves should benefit from its use.”
Giving a sneak peek into the fine print in the core agenda, Diaz said that issues like restoration of depleting fisheries stock, enhancing of coral reef protection, reduction in the introduction of invasive species, etc. will form part of the discussions over the next two weeks. Special attention will be given to the 13.4% protected area that supports one-fourth of the world’s livelihood.
“It holds 25% of the carbon emitted too. Yet less than 30% of it has a proper management plan,” said Sarat Babu Gidda, programme officer (protected areas) of CBD, said quoting from CBD statistics that, in India, roughly 5% of the total land area was under protected zones. That comprises 530 wildlife sanctuaries and 85 national parks.
Further, CoP-11 will also take stock of the status of implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) of biodiversity adopted by its members at the 2010 conference. Ratified by only six countries so far, CBD is hopeful of getting the needed numbers (50 countries) by 2015 to be able to enforce the protocol. “A dozen more countries are in the final stage of ratification and we are hoping they will come on board soon,” CBD officials said.
2012 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.