Showing papers on "Convention on Biological Diversity published in 2001"

Invasive species: a costly catastrophe for native biodiversity

Abstract: Species introduced from outside their natural range can be an economic boon, because they often seem to do better in their new home than in their place of origin. For example, various species of eucalyptus from Australia are widespread in Southeast Asia, China, India, California, and various parts of Africa, and South Africa’s colourful proteas bless many of the world’s gardens. Further, ‘natural’ is becoming an increasingly obsolete concept, as virtually all ecosystems have a strong and increasing anthropogenic component. People are designing the kinds of ecosystems they find congenial. The great increase in the introduction of aliens that people are importing primarily for aesthetic reasons — ornamentals to make their gardens more attractive — often leads to a net increase in species richness in their destination. It is quite likely, for example, that many parts of the world have far more species now than ever before, though this great increase of species numbers is usually at least partly at the expense of indigenous species (and thus reduces global species diversity). But a species introduced for noble economic or aesthetic objectives may escape into the wild, invading native ecosystems with disastrous results: they become alien invasive species (AIS). Greatly improved transport that enables traders to move goods around the world quickly is providing ideal opportunities for the accidental introduction of AIS, ranging from zebra mussels to disease-carrying mosquitoes to bacteria and viruses. It appears that few purposeful introductions have been accompanied by a careful consideration of the full costs involved. When the costs have become apparent, they can be astronomical; one study in the United States estimates that costs associated with alien species amount to some US$136 billion per year, and the recent disastrous fires in South Africa appear to be at least partly due to the spread of AIS. These costs usually must be paid by someone other than those who sponsored or promoted the introduction — often the general public. Decision-makers need to invest more in assessing the potential impacts before allowing introductions and to incorporate more biosecurity measures once the species has been introduced. Accidental introductions by definition are not exposed to a prior cost-benefit assessment, but assessments of the costs of such introductions can justify increased budgets to control and limit such accidental introductions. AIS issues also link to other issues of major policy concern, such as biotechnology, global trade, water, human health, and climate change. The Convention on Biological Diversity offers an important opportunity for addressing the complex global problems of introduced species through improved international cooperation.

Compromising South Africa's natural biodiversity - inappropriate herbivore introductions

Abstract: THE INTRODUCTION OF NON-NATIVE species can affect natural habitats in ways that are often difficult to quantify but that, despite their potential benefits, pose an increasing global threat to biodiversity. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, South Africa is committed to preserving the natural biota. An analysis of a number of private wildlife operations in the arid/semi-arid regions of South Africa has revealed an alarming degree of undesirable large mammal introductions. The extent of non-native species in private wildlife operations ranged between 10 and 57%, with two-thirds of all operations surveyed having 25% or more non-native species present. Such introductions intended to enhance local diversity so as to improve the economic viability of these operations, but, at present, the ecological as well as economic costs appear to outweigh the benefits. Private wildlife operations have the potential, however, to contribute significantly to the conservation of South Africa’s biodiversity if appropriate precautionary measures are adopted when introducing non-native species. Local biodiversity may be increased through the introduction of non-indigenous species, but, it has been argued, the loss of sensitive species (that is, those confined to certain microhabitats, endemics, etc.) as a result of competitive exclusion and associated effects ultimately diminishes regional landscape diversity as well as global diversity and ecosystem functioning. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, South Africa is obliged to control the introduction of non-native species either through eradication or by preventing the further introduction of such species. The government has drafted a policy on the threat of such non-native species to the country ’s biodiversity, to increase understanding of the problems associated with such introductions, and to promote the sustainable use of South Africa’s indigenous resources. Critical to the success of such a policy is its acceptance and effective implementation by both state organizations and private individuals. The recent resurgence of interest in game farming/ranching in southern Africa has been revealed as a sustainable alternative to livestock farming, especially in semi-arid areas where low rainfall precludes cropping and livestock production is marginal. Owing to the extirpation of a majority of native species through hunting and habitat transformation, many wildlife operations rely for their economic viability on the re-introduction of large herbivores as well as the introduction of species that do not occur naturally, but at unrecognized cost to ecological integrity and long-term sustainability. The translocation of wildlife species as an important conservation management tool or as a means of generating economic activity (tourism, hunting) is a worldwide phenomenon, but those involving exotic species generally result in serious problems for conservation and management and species are often introduced into areas beyond their natural range. Many non-native large mammal species, particularly ungulates, occur on private farms and reserves in southern Africa. Despite the recognized problems incurred by the spread of terrestrial and aquatic alien plants and invasion by smaller mammals (mice, rats), it has been suggested that alien mammals are seldom invasive in South Africa even though the translocation of these species beyond their historical range is commonplace. Little attention has been paid South African National Parks, P.O. Box 20419, Humewood, Port Elizabeth, 6013 South Africa. Terrestrial Ecology Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Port Elizabeth, P.O. Box 1600, Port Elizabeth, 6000 South Africa.

Biodiversity Prospecting: Lessons and Prospects

Abstract: ▪ Abstract Introduction of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity and the growth of biotechnology processes have recently led anthropologists into the rapidly moving, ethically and philosophically challenging field of bioprospecting or exploring biological diversity for commercially valuable genetic and biochemical resources. Is bioprospecting an innovative mechanism that will (a) help produce new therapeutics and preserve traditional medical systems, (b) conserve both biological and cultural diversity by demonstrating their medical, economic, and social values, and (c) bring biotechnology and other benefits to biodiversity-rich but technology poor countries? Or is bioprospecting yet another form of colonialism—“bioimperialism”—wherein the North rips off the South's resources and intellectual property rights? This article reviews the current literature on bioprospecting that lies somewhere between current polemics and calls for more anthropological research into the bioprospecting process.

Overlapping International Regimes The Case of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) between Climate Change and Biodiversity

Abstract: A great number of organisations and actors are participating in a plethora of international and regional fora geared towards the forest issue. Are there inherent traits about how these fora interact that can increase understanding about why the forest issue seems largely to be at a standstill? In this article I focus on the final meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF-4) and examine the overlap with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the overlap with the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC). How have the overlaps between these international fora been dealt with and why has one led to linkages while the other has not?

Marine biodiversity and the need for systematic inventories

Abstract: Despite universal recognition of coral reefs as the 'ocean's rainforest,' the focus of conservation is largely restricted to cnidarians, fish, larger sponges, and macroalgae. These span a wide taxonomic range and can be monitored non-invasively. But a biodiversity picture based on so few taxa is dismally incomplete. As in the rainforest, the overwhelming majority of species and clades on the reef are cryptic. Worms, mollusks, echinoderms, and crustaceans are numerically dominant, contribute to the trophic underpinning, and play pivotal ecological roles. Other than a few charismatic species (e.g., starfish, tube worms, conchs), they are underestimated and overassumed. Proper inventory of such taxa requires factors not routinely employed in conservation: physical sampling and systematic expertise. Yet scientifically robust results can be achieved with minimal damage and investment, and lead to recognition of key species, for which monitoring schemes can be developed. Examples of recent surveys by systematists are provided, involving echinoderms, mollusks, crustaceans, and worms from a variety of marine habitats, and each showing significant results. Despite this evidence of success, acquiring systematic expertise for inventorying marine invertebrates continues to be a limiting factor. After decades of de-emphasizing systematics, the cohort of trained systematists is aging and facing non-replacement, even in museums where extensive specimen collections, laboratories, and libraries provide the best available support for systematic work. In today's climate of biodiversity interest, new initiatives are attempting to reverse this trend. National Science Foundation's PEET [Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy] Program is providing resources for training the next generation of taxonomists working on poorly known groups. At the international level, initiatives such as DIVERSITAS' Systematics Agenda 2000 International Program are supporting new agendas to document reef biodiversity and promote systematic inventory. The Convention on Biological Diversity is calling for more systematic inventories to facilitate their goals of conservation and sustainable development. Programmatic and financial support for inventories by national, regional, and local conservation and monitoring agencies are the next requirement.

Conservation goals and fisheries management units for Atlantic salmon in the Baltic Sea area

Abstract: The effective application of genetic information in fisheries management strategies implies political goal setting taking both conservation and fisheries management into account. The concept of sustainable use as set out by the Convention on Biological Diversity offers a valuable starting point in this respect, since the criterion for it is defined as the maintenance of genetic diversity within each species. However, strategic decisions are also needed on the practical level, where the actual genetic information can be taken into account. Genetic factors, such as glacial differentiation, the postglacial genetic structure of populations, gene flow levels and the probability of the existence of adaptive differences, have an effect on the formation of conservation and management units and on the long-term strategy for the sustainable use of a species. The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Baltic Sea area is treated here as an example of a complicated management problem with a highly hierarchical genetic structure associated with marked loss of naturally reproductive stocks, extensive hatchery production and an effective international offshore fishery. The implications of genetic factors for the conservation and management strategy of the Baltic salmon is discussed in the light of the goals set by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks Agreement, the Habitats Directive of the European Union and the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission. 2001 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Biotechnology and International Law

Abstract: Emerging applications in the field of biotechnology hold great promise for promoting the health and well-being of the global community, especially in developing states. Yet significant concerns have emerged about biotechnology in the transnational sphere, concerns that no doubt will increase in decades to come. The purpose of the article is to assess the strengths and limits of existing international norms and structures designed to address these concerns, and to suggest a means for augmenting current structures to make them more effective. International law develops and regulates transnational behavior in a manner that goes well beyond the development treaty regimes. International law is driven in large part by the self-interest of states, but they also arise from the social interaction of states and non-state actors, and they ultimately must become grounded in national laws and society in order to become effective. This article accordingly emphasizes the need for coordination at different levels of state and non-state behavior as the law develops over time as well as the need for coordination across different treaty regimes. While states should continue to grapple with concerns in the area of biotechnology through incremental tinkering of existing treaty regimes - seen most recently in the adoption of a Biosafety Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity - the article argues that the principal emphasis of the global community on episodic and segmented intergovernmental negotiations as a means for addressing these concerns is misplaced, especially since the science in this area is changing rapidly, the behavior to be regulated is highly commercial and private in nature, and transnational regulation affects a wide variety of state and non-state actors who have complex motivations that change over time. At the same time, the many issues raised by biotechnology in the transnational sphere should not be left to the vagaries of the market, to governments alone, or to the initiatives of a few well-financed interest groups, such as biotechnology companies and environmentalists. Instead they need to be addressed by international society as a whole. One approach would be to establish a transnational forum on biotechnology, which could serve as a relatively informal and non-binding means for the transnational "bargaining" of views among a wide range of relevant non-state actors. Such a forum ultimately may be instrumental in achieving consensus on a coherent and effective legal regime to address concerns with transnational biotechnology, one that balances the tremendous opportunities of biotechnology against its potentially severe and adverse transnational effects.

The Need to Conserve Farm Animal Genetic Resources Through Community-Based Management in Africa: Should Policy Makers be Concerned?

Abstract: This paper outlines some key factors contributing to the erosion of animal genetic resources and discusses strategic options for livestock sector policy makers to counter such erosion in their respective countries. The ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1993 represents an international consensus to conserve biodiversity including that of farm animal and plant genetic resources, which are prerequisites for food security and the improvement of agricultural productivity. In Africa, conservation of agricultural biodiversity is inbuilt into the low input - low output production strategies of smallholder farming systems. These systems are often associated with poverty in rural areas and numerous development projects have thus sought to alleviate such poverty by promoting and subsidising crossbreeding or modern reproductive technologies. However, uncontrolled crossbreeding has been and remains a serious threat to the conservation of local farm animal populations. The primary policy goal for conservation of biodiversity should focus on the diversity between and within indigenous populations of farm animals. This includes, for example, the close monitoring of crossbreeding activities with exotic breeds. The genetic and phenotypic characterisation of local breeds is a prerequisite for this purpose. Economic valuation of biodiversity in general, of breeds within given production systems and an analysis of the social welfare implications of farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) diversity conservation although relatively complex to carry out are also important for informed policy making. Despite the difficulties involved, objectives for the conservation of a local farm animal population and opportunities to utilise its diversity to meet present and future market demands, to serve as an insurance against environmental changes such as changes in production, socio-economic, historic and cultural conditions can be identified for research and development. To improve food security through the conservation of animal genetic resources in Africa, utilisation of local farm animal genetic resources depends on the ability of communities to decide on and implement appropriate breeding strategies. This cannot be realised without enabling policies. It is for this reason policy makers need to be concerned and should take action now.

Focus: who reaps the benefits of biodiversity?

Abstract: The search for wild plant and animal products of potential value to medicine, agriculture, and other uses has been going on for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. Many commonly prescribed medicines in the United States include ingredients derived from natural products, and roughly 80% of the world's people rely on natural products for their primary medical needs. Until the past decade, all of these natural products were collected without compensating the source countries. But the rules of collecting changed in 1992 with the establishment of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which offers financial compensation for natural products and seeks to conserve biological diversity, use natural products sustainably, and fairly share products made from gene stocks. Questions remain, however, as to how to share the benefits of biodiversity equitably, as well as whether the lack of both U.S. support for the agreement and enforceability render the convention impotent.

What is the Economic Meaning of the Precautionary Principle

Abstract: The Precautionary Principle (‘‘PP’’) defines a new standard of risk management when the very existence of risk is subject to some scientific uncertainty. It was introduced at the 1992 Rio Conference in its Article 15. It states that ‘‘where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing costeffective measures to prevent environmental degradation’’. Similar definitions exist in various international treaties: the 1992 Convention on Climate Change, the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, the Maastricht Treaty, and the 2000 Protocol on Biosafety. The general formulation above is both the strength and the weakness of the PP. It is its strength since it has a high degree of generality. It may be used in principle in all environmental protection or health safety issues that present high conditions of uncertainty, as in the recent ‘‘mad cow’’ crisis for instance. It is its weakness since it has no practical content and offers little guidance for conceiving regulatory policies. A direct consequence of this common formulation is the risk of diverging interpretations. For example, the PP has been a matter of dispute between the European Union and the United States in trade relations. In a recent report (CEC, 2000), the European Commission explicitly recognizes the difficulty of interpreting the PP. The first sentence of the report states: ‘‘The issue of when and how to use the Precautionary Principle, both within the European Union and internationally, is giving rise to much debate, and to mixed, and sometimes contradictory views.’’ Facing the need for a better understanding of the PP, the debate recently has often moved to the philosophical arena. A typical question is the place of ‘‘sound science’’ in our society. In this paper, we argue that economic science may provide a sensible and practical interpretation of the PP. For a long time, economists have investigated the links between irreversibility, risk and the prospect of increasing information over time. It has triggered an important research field in finance and investment theory. Importantly, those ideas have been recently incorporated into broader issues related to risk management and environment policy. A normative economic basis for the PP has been put forward (Gollier, Jullien and Treich, 2000). The cost-effectiveness of precautionary policies has been examined for the climatechange problem. However, we will also argue that the PP should at the same time be enforced at the political and judicial level. Indeed precautionary policies may not emerge spontaneously in competitive industries, such as in the energy or the agri-business sectors. Also, the presence of

Precaution without perversity: a comprehensive application of the precautionary principle to genetically modified crops©

Abstract: The precautionary principle (PP) has sometimes been invoked to justify a ban on GM crops. This justification, however, takes credit for reducing potential public health and environmental risks that might result from a ban but ignores any blame for risks that the ban might generate or prolong. Contributing to such one-sided accounting is the fact that most formulations of the precautionary principle provide no guidance for evaluating a policy if it results simultaneously in uncertain benefits and uncertain harm. Accordingly, policy cures based on such one-sided applications of the PP could aggravate the underlying disease. This article develops a framework to evaluate policies where the net result might be ambiguous because their effects -- both beneficial and harmful -- are uncertain. This framework attempts to sort out competing claims on both sides of the ledger by considering, among other things, the nature, magnitude, and the certainty of the positive and negative effects of a ban, and the likelihood that a ban would reduce or aggravate those effects. The application of this framework shows that a ban on GM crops is likely to do more harm to public health (because a ban would retard reductions in global hunger, malnutrition, and diseases of affluence) as well as to the environment (because a ban would increase land, water and chemical inputs devoted to agriculture, further intensifying the major threats to global biodiversity). Accordingly, the article concludes that an even handed application of the PP requires that GM crops should be encouraged rather than banned, provided due caution is exercised. Corollaries to this result are: (a) a ban on GM crops would be contrary to the spirit and letter of the international Convention on Biological Diversity which aims to protect biodiversity, preferably using in situ conservation, and (b) a policy to ban all GM crops ought not to come under the purview of the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol.

The species Plantarum Project, an international collaborative initiative for higher plant taxonomy

Abstract: Basic understanding of the higher plant resources of the world for the successful management of biodiversity requires international collaboration and the setting up of a global taxonomic database. Botanists at all levels should be involved in the taxonomic work, and biologists and conservationists need to be actively aware of the need for such work on a global basis. The database must include census, descriptive, and identification aspects. At present, existing available information is haphazardly distributed on library shelves and inadequately organised. Published data on threatened species have been shown to be hopelessly inaccurate. National and regional Floras may often portray a false perspective of the plants they include. The world's botanists have to organise themselves to pool their information, and substantial international funding is needed to support this. The Species Plantarum Project, set up in 1995 under the International Organisation for Plant Information affiliated to the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), aims to overcome "the taxonomic impediment", and is currently seeking appropriate funding. It responds to the priorities highlighted in the work programme being developed under the Global Taxonomy Initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The project has an international Steering Committee representing all regions of the world, and aims to develop a further network of collaborators. Publication of data will be in both hard copy and electronic form. Instructions to contributors and accounts of five relatively small families have already been published in hard copy, and accounts of two further families totalling nearly 1000 species are in press. Future plans emphasise the need for capacity building in floristic work throughout the world. The project now invites the collaboration of taxonomists throughout the community, but the future of the project is dependent on funding being made available.

Biodiversity and Conservation

Abstract: Part 1 Biodiversity - an overview: why is biodiversity important? plant diversity animal diversity marine biodiversity human diversity - the indigenous peoples indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. Part 2 Genetic resources: crop genetic diversity uniformity versus diversity agricultural biodiversity green revolution - the cost and remedy who controls genetic diversity? animal genetic resources erosion of animal genetic diversity aquatic diversity is aquaculture the solution? human genetic diversity the convention on biological diversity the north and south - need for shared responsibility. Part 3 Biotechnology and biodiversity: the techniques the dream and the nightmare the cases release of GMOs into the environment biosafety. Part 4 Biodiversity prospecting: the problems the mechanisms and the economics human diversity prospecting? prospecting or bargaining? intellectual property rights (IPR) the tangled genes - invention or discovery? why should patents not be extended to plants and animals? Part 5 Conservation: the principles and rationale parks versus people conservation outside protected areas ex situ conservation ex situ - UN FAO's State of the World report conservation of animal biodiversity wild - the hidden harvest global programmes of conservation - FAO, NGOs and the CGIAR.

Biodiversity in the balance

Abstract: Biodiversity in the Balance summarises the scientific and economic debate and highlights disagreements about the definitions of biodiversity management objectives. The author goes on to develop an original analytical treatment of the incremental cost financing mechanisms adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Significantly, he undertakes a microeconomic study of land use change in a biosphere reserve in South-East Mexico. Based on an original data set, the author presents a detailed modelling exercise of resource and land use choices at the individual farm level with related projections of the impact at both community and regional levels. Techniques used include multi-period linear programming and dynamic stock-flow simulation. The book concludes by addressing policy implications and options for future research.

Evolving Political Issues Affecting International Exchange of Arachis Genetic Resources

Abstract: While plant genetic resources continue to be essential for world food security, the exchange of these resources between countries has become increasingly encumbered during recent years. The free and open access to genetic resources that previously was considered the “common heritage of mankind” has been fundamentally changed by international multilateral agreements that recognize national sovereignty over genetic resources. Since the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993, many countries have implemented laws regulating access to their genetic resources. The development of legislation in several countries comprising the primary areas of origin and diversity of Arachismakes issues associated with germplasm exchange particularly relevant to investigators working with peanut. This paper describes some recent USDA experiences with obtaining access in Latin American countries harboring peanut genetic resources. Also discussed are implications and prospects for future international germplasm exchange, including aspects of collaborative research and benefit sharing with germplasm donor countries. Within this new political climate, the establishment of mutually beneficial precedents for accessing foreign genetic resources will be crucial for ensuring the continued exchange, conservation, and use of Arachis germplasm in the future.

Biodiversity in the Balance

Abstract: Biodiversity in the Balance summarises the scientific and economic debate and highlights disagreements about the definitions of biodiversity management objectives The author goes on to develop an original analytical treatment of the incremental cost financing mechanisms adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity Significantly, he undertakes a microeconomic study of land use change in a biosphere reserve in South-East Mexico Based on an original data set, the author presents a detailed modelling exercise of resource and land use choices at the individual farm level with related projections of the impact at both community and regional levels Techniques used include multi-period linear programming and dynamic stock-flow simulation The book concludes by addressing policy implications and options for future research

International Environmental Law Attempts to be "Mutually Supportive" with International Trade Law: A Compatibility Analysis of the Cartagena Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity with the World Trade Organisation Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

Abstract: (2001). International environmental law attempts to be “mutually supportive” with international trade law: A compatibility analysis of the Cartagena protocol to the convention on biological diversity with the world trade organisation agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1-34.

Agrodiversity: A Positive Means of Addressing Land Degradation and Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

Abstract: ‘Agrodiversity’ is the many ways in which farmers use the natural diversity of the environment for production, including their choice of crops, and management of land, water and biota as a whole. The 1998 Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity asked countries to demonstrate the importance of biological diversity in supporting rural communities Promoting agrodiversity and understanding how it functions in tropical smallholder farming systems is a key means of showing that importance.

The Legitimacy of the Global Environment Facility

Abstract: At the June 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was named the interim funding mechanism for both the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the two most important international agreements to emerge from the Rio meetings. GEF was also explicitly tagged as the major funding instrument for Agenda 21, UNCED’s forward-looking sustainable development blueprint. Consequently, for the impoverished states of the Global South and for the so-called ‘economies in transition’ of Eastern Europe, the GEF now serves as the principal source of development assistance for global environmental purposes. Over $2 billion worth of grants have been authorised to date and another $2.75 billion has been pledged to cover the next four years (El-Ashry, 1998).

Birds and the Convention on Biological Diversity: can ornithologists and bird conservationists make a difference?

Abstract: Summary Upon its adoption in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was greeted with enthusiasm by the conservation community including bird conservationists. Nine years after its entry into force in 1993, the CBD still has to live up to the original high expectations if it is to halt, or even slow, the loss of biodiversity at the ecosystem, species and genetic level. Among the reasons for this shortcoming, the rather vague nature of obligations for the 182 governments who have ratified the Convention is probably the most important. National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) form the most significant instrument for the implementation of the CBD. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is supporting the NBSAPs financially, as well as local, national and regional projects, many of which are relevant for bird conservation. Being the best-researched animal taxa, birds could serve relatively easily as indicators for the success of efforts under the Convention. Some cases, where ornithological data are being used within NBSAPs and related processes, are highlighted. From the early stages of planning, bird surveyors should take the potential use of their results by decision-makers into account. For ensuring that survey data are fed into NBSAPs and other similar policy documents, a strong collaboration of ornithologists and birdwatchers with non-governmental conservation organizations is recommended.

Strategies and action plans to conserve biological diversity: a cultural and scientific challenge

Abstract: Ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity obliges the contracting parties to implement general measures to ensure the development of national strategies, plans or programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity as set out in Article Six. A decade after the 1992 Rio Conference — through a critical review of the path certain African countries have taken in the process of developing biodiversity strategies, actions plans or programmes — the authors propose the main areas of focus that should govern biodiversity conservation planning. After briefly reviewing the origins of the biodiversity conservation concept, the authors deal with the issue of ambiguity linked to the current use of certain terms such as conservation, preservation and protection. In this section, the debate revolves around the meaning of this biodiversity conservation concept, whose origins can be found in the cultural and economic domains. The rest of the article covers the different approaches used in processes designed to develop biodiversity strategies and action plans. Each of these approaches presents certain strengths and weaknesses. An approach is also proposed that would allow effective participation by all concerned stakeholders and shows how taking account of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a prerequisite for a real participation of peasants in Africa.

Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Exploring Access and Benefit Sharing Issues. Lesser William

Abstract: The most I can hope for is to provide some insights into cause and effect. . . I do not propose that countries. . . should seek to commercialize sustainably their genetic resources. That is their decision. Rather, . . . I explore means of implementation and their consequences. [. . . ] Such a pragmatic perspective is often missing from the clouds of words engulfing the Convention process. (p. viii)