Showing papers on "Convention on Biological Diversity published in 2003"

Forest law enforcement and rural livelihoods

Abstract: International concern about illegal forestry activities has grown markedly. Asian, African, and European governments have held high-level regional conferences on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG). Indonesia has signed path-breaking Memoranda of Understanding on illegal logging with the United Kingdom, China, and Norway. The Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Forum on Forests, the International Tropical Timber Organisation, and the G8 have all issued forceful statements, and incorporated the issue in their work plans. The European Commission has committed itself to formulating a European FLEG Action Plan. Japan and Indonesia have initiated an Asian Forest Partnership, with a major focus on illegal logging. Global Witness, the Environmental Investigation Agency, Transparency International, Greenpeace, Global Forest Watch, and Friends of the Earth have raised public awareness about the problem.

Conserving forest biodiversity in times of violent conflict

Abstract: Forests are often frontiers, and like all frontiers, they are sites of dynamic social, ecological, political and economic changes. Such dynamism involves constantly changing advantages and disadvantages to different groups of people, which not surprisingly can lead to armed conflict, and all too frequently to war. Many governments have contributed to conflict, however inadvertently, by nationalizing their forests, so that traditional forest inhabitants have been disenfranchised while national governments sell the rights to trees in order to earn foreign exchange. Biodiversity-rich tropical forests in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Indochina, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Central and West Africa, the Amazon, Colombia, Central America and New Caledonia have all been the sites of armed conflict in recent years, sometimes involving international forces. Forests have sometimes been part of the cause of conflict (as in Myanmar and Sierra Leone) but more often victims of it. Violent conflicts in temperate areas also typically involve forests as shelters for both civilians and combatants, as in the Balkans. While these conflicts have frequently, even invariably, caused negative impacts on biodiversity, peace can be even worse, as it enables forest exploitation to operate with impunity. Because many of the remaining forests are along international borders, international cooperation is required for their conservation. As one response, the concept of international “Peace Parks” is being promoted in many parts of the world as a way of linking biodiversity conservation with national security. The Convention on Biological Diversity, which entered into force at the end of 1993 and now has 187 State Parties, offers a useful framework for such cooperation.

Plant Quarantine as a Measure Against Invasive Alien Species: The Framework of the International Plant Protection Convention and the plant health regulations in the European Union

Abstract: The introduction of several plant pests into Europe in the 19th century with disastrous consequences called for the development of plant quarantine measures to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products. With the purpose of harmonising these measures, and of promoting measures for pest control, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) was developed to address organisms that are both directly and indirectly injurious to plants. It supplies a framework for measures against invasive alien species according to the Convention on Biological Diversity, as far as they are plant pests. Three examples of invasive alien species within the scope of the IPPC are given in the article: the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and the flatworm Arthurdendyus triangulatus. In its 1997 revision, the IPPC provides for the establishment of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, being acknowledged by the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organisation. Standards most important for invasive alien species are those on pest risk analysis, on requirements for the establishment of pest-free areas, on surveillance, on pest eradication programmes, and on the import and release of exotic biological agents. Phytosanitary regulations in the European Union (EU) have been harmonised and up to now have regulated about 300 plant pests. The requirements also have a protective horizontal effect against the unintentional introduction of many other species, but the existing broader IPPC mandate for alien plant pests is not fully applied by the EU regulations.

The major importance of 'minor' resources: Women and plant biodiversity

Abstract: Understanding women’s influence on plant biodiversity is essential to our ability to conserve plant genetic resources, especially those plants that are useful to humans. Contrary to previous thinking, it is becoming clear that women know most about these plants because, throughout history, women’s daily work has required more of this knowledge. This paper describes how women predominate in plant biodiversity management in their roles as housewives, plant gatherers, homegardeners, herbalists, seed custodians and informal plant breeders. But they are largely invisible to outsiders and are easily undervalued. Gender bias has prevailed in scientific research about people-plant relationships, and conservation policies and programmes are still largely blind to the importance of the domestic sphere, of women and of gender relations for biodiversity conservation, and to the importance of plants for women’s status and welfare. Traditional knowledge and indigenous rights to plants are everywhere sex-differentiated, and gender inequalities are also implicated in processes leading to biological erosion. Achieving the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, particularly those related to sustainable use and to benefit sharing, will require much greater attention to women’s knowledge, management and rights, and to the domestic sphere. Steps needed include: prioritising the conservation of plants that are important to women curators and reversing dynamics that lead to their erosion; recognising, and promoting the inter-generational transmission of women’s traditional knowledge; recognising indigenous rights systems and women’s rights to plants and land resources within these; and ensuring women’s full participation in decisions and policies that affect their plant rights.

Using the Ecosystem Approach to Implement the Convention on Biological Diversity: Key Issues And Case Studies

Abstract: The Ecosystem Approach, defined as a strategy for the management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way, was adopted at the Second Conference of the Parties of the CBD as the primary framework for action under the Convention. It puts people and their nature resource use practices squarely at the centre of the decision-making framework. The case studies presented here were discussed at three workshops held in Southern Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. They provide practical examples of the Ecosystem Approach as well as a number of recommendations for action that are widely relevant to Parties and other bodies.

Managing marine genetic diversity: time for action?

Abstract: The 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity has established an international framework for broader conservation objectives for the management of ocean use activities (cf. Sainsbury and Sumaila, 2003). The Convention calls for preservation of biological diversity, including genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, thereby creating a demand for developing management forms that can cope with this issue. A number of initiatives have been developed to address this and other related international agreements. Notably, Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM; cf. Brodziak and Link, 2002; Sainsbury and Sumaila, 2003) has emerged as a holistic approach to maintaining ecosystems and sustainable fisheries. EBFM should incorporate all levels of diversity, but in practice has focused on species and ecosystem diversity (e.g., Brodziak and Link, 2002). The application of EBFM must be broadened to include conservation of genetic diversity, including intraspecific diversity, which are not necessarily protected by maintaining diversity at higher levels (cf. Kenchington, 2003). Scientific justification for conserving genetic diversity stems from several sources including: (1) maintaining adaptability of natural populations; (2) the future utility of genetic resources for medical and other purposes; and (3) changes in life history traits and behaviour that influence the dynamics of fish populations, energy flows in the ecosystem, and ultimately, sustainable yield. The challenge is to formulate appropriate management actions for the preservation of genetic diversity (e.g., Sainsbury and Sumaila, 2003). This will require consensus on what it is we are trying to preserve (e.g., alleles, traits, population structure) and some means of assessing genetic status. This paper endeavours to outline a process to develop management advice for marine genetic diversity. We challenge fish conservation geneticists to consider their work in a more applied context so that management actions can be developed to preserve genetic resources.

Culture collections over the world

Abstract: Culture collections have the crucial role of providing the authenticated biological material upon which high quality research is based. Importantly, they serve as repositories for strains as part of patent deposits, providers of safe and confidential services to store key organisms for research and industry, and sources of organisms cited in scientific papers that can be used in the confirmation of results and for further study. The demands upon culture collections change as new technologies and uses of organisms are discovered. Many are becoming Biological Resource Centres, as defined by the OECD Biological Resource Centre (BRC) Initiative, in that they operate according to international quality criteria, carry out essential research, enhance the value and applications of strains and provide a vital information resource. In a changing international scientific environment, many collections are under threat of extinction because of inadequate funding, changing government support strategies and the cost of new technologies. We are also suffering a decline in the number of biosystematists, who are needed to form a sound base for molecular technologies and to aid in identifying, and characterizing microbial diversity. In this environment, collections must work together to make the best use of new technologies and to contribute to the description of the 1.4 million fungi yet to be discovered. At the current rate, this will take 700 years. New technologies and novel ways of funding this task must be engaged and, above all, scientists must collaborate. Common policies are necessary to address the regulatory demands on collections, to control access to dangerous organisms, and, in particular, to enforce the Convention on Biological Diversity. Countries that hold the majority of biodiversity require support in building the facilities required to explore their hidden resource. The World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) and, in Europe, the European Culture Collection Organisation (ECCO) have a key role to play. The world must benefit from its microbial diversity, which is crucial to solving increasing problems in food provision, public health and poverty alleviation.

The Challenge of Measuring Global Change in Wild Nature: Are Things Getting Better or Worse?

Abstract: The Ministerial Declaration made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg agreed to protection and restoration of the integrity of our planet's ecological systems and identified as a major priority a significant reduction in the rate of current biodiversity loss at national and global levels. This goal is essentially a reformulation of that of the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to in Rio de Janeiro 10 years ago. For us to have any idea of where we are in relation to this goal, we need information on current global trends in the status of natural systems. By 2005 it is envisaged that the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) will have provided a comprehensive account of global biodiversity from a compilation of existing data, but that is a long time to wait. What can we say now about trends in the state of wild nature since the United Nations' 1992 Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro? Here, we briefly review recent global trends in habitat area in as many broadly defined natural habitats as possible and in indices of animal populations characteristic of those habitats. The information available indicates continuing declines in habitat area and species, but that data are extremely sparse.

Re-thinking Nature:Towards an Eco-Pluralism

Abstract: Biodiversity initiatives have traditionally operated within a ‘science-first’ model of environmental decision-making. The model assumes a hierarchical relationship in which scientific knowledge is elevated above other knowledge systems. Consequently, other types of knowledge held by the public, such as traditional or lay knowledges, are undervalued and under-represented in biodiversity projects. Drawing upon two case studies of biodiversity initiatives in Canada, this paper looks at the role that constructivist conceptions of education play in the integration of alternative knowledge systems in environmental decision-making. In so doing, it argues that the conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing goals outlined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (signed in 1992 under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Programme) demand new models of governance which embrace the adaptive management qualities of learning organisations.

Reintroductions: whence and whither?

Abstract: This paper reviews the occurrence and quality of reintroductions of plants and animals, and the use of reintroduction as a tool in conservation biology. The Re-introduction Specialist Group (RSG) of the IUCN/Species Survival Commission (SSC) was created in 1988 and the activities of the Group are described. Illustrations of innovative processes and practices, developed within improved frameworks of policies and legislation, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, show that reintroduction has become a more rigorous discipline with the potential to contribute to community-restoration programmes. The activities of the RSG have contributed to this achievement.

Bioprospecting in areas outside national jurisdiction: Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Abstract: This article examines the issues surrounding bioprospecting for potential resources from areas outside national jurisdiction. Bioprospecting is attracting attention in international law because there is a lack of clarity in the interplay between sovereign rights over biological resources and intellectual property rights in inventions developed from those resources. The situation is even more complex where sovereign rights are disputed or absent. This article focuses on the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean because, although this region is in the administrative custody of 45 state parties to the Antarctic Treaty, the status of Antarctic resources is legally unclear. While there may not be direct conflict between the Antarctic legal regime and other international regimes, including the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, neither does the legal regime provide adequate guidance in the treatment of resources from global commons areas. An examination of the issues has led the authors to conclude that at the very least the Antarctic Treaty consultative parties should make clear their collective policy on bioprospecting before the industry takes hold.

Global governance for the environment and the role of Multilateral Environmental Agreements in conservation

Abstract: The role of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Wetlands Convention, and the Barcelona Convention on the Mediterranean has grown increasingly important, in the context of conservation management, during the last decade as human impacts intensify and cross national boundaries more often. In resorting to MEAs it is important to maintain a clear focus on their opportunities and limitations. They are a means to resolve transboundary problems with neighbouring states and adopt harmonized approaches, they increasingly offer access to worldwide knowledge, tools and financial resources, and they can give conservation agencies a stronger mandate domestically. But they are specialized instruments focused on particular problems or sectors. The threats they address and the solutions they outline have to be evaluated in relation to overall environmental and socio-economic priorities. This entails linkages among different problems and sectors at various scales. Regional and ecosystem-level approaches are most appropriate for sorting out linkages and priorities. Extensive capacity building is needed at these levels to foster the requisite skills for integrated approaches. In addition, new mechanisms may be required at these levels to coordinate diverse specialized regimes. This does not require a monolithic, top-down approach but rather ongoing flexibility and responsiveness informed from the bottom up. We should take advantage of the new directions highlighted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, in 2002 and other recent international conferences to build these abilities into international governance. Conservation managers have an important role to play. By working nationally and internationally they can inform and influence the shift towards integrated and coordinated efforts, suggesting ways to accomplish this on a larger, international scale based on concrete experience in situ.

Environmental NGOs and the Bio-safety Protocol. A case study on political influence.

Abstract: It is not only governments which play an important role in securing international agreements, but environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) as well. This is reflected in the ever-growing body of literature concerning this topic. This article deals with the political influence of ENGOs on the Biosafety Protocol, a protocol linked to the UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity. It concludes that these organizations did have an impact on the final agreement that was made, with one example being the inclusion of the precautionary principle in the final protocol (although not exclusively determined by ENGOs). They were particularly able to influence policy outcomes by lobbying government delegates, by co-operating with developing countries and by mobilizing public pressure. With regard to the time frame of the biosafety negotiations, ENGOs succeeded in exercising most of their influence in the so-called ‘pre-negotiation’ phase. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.

Environmental NGOs and the Biosafety Protocol: a case study on political influence

Abstract: It is not only governments which play an important role in securing international agreements, but environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) as well. This is reflected in the ever-growing body of literature concerning this topic. This article deals with the political influence of ENGOs on the Biosafety Protocol, a protocol linked to the UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity. It concludes that these organizations did have an impact on the final agreement that was made, with one example being the inclusion of the precautionary principle in the final protocol (although not exclusively determined by ENGOs). They were particularly able to influence policy outcomes by lobbying government delegates, by co-operating with developing countries and by mobilizing public pressure. With regard to the time frame of the biosafety negotiations, ENGOs succeeded in exercising most of their influence in the so-called ‘pre-negotiation’ phase. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment.

Conservation as if Biological Diversity Matters: Preservation versus Sustainable Use in India

Abstract: DEBATES OVER THE rationale for conservation are now fast being consigned to history. More people and governments than ever before recognise the need to conserve biological diversity, with over 180 countries now having become signatories to the International Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP 1992). With the dawn of such a broad consensus, conservation debates have now focused more narrowly on the means of attaining the goal of conserving biological diversity (Gadgil 1992; IUCN et al. 1980; IUCN et al. 1991; Kramer et al. 1997; Terborgh 1999; Terborgh et al. 2002; Wells and Brandon 1992). The conservation community in India, as in other regions in the tropics, stands polarised between two forceful conservation paradigms: preservationism and sustainable use (Rangarajan 1995, 2001; Saberwal et al. 2001). Preservationism— hitherto the most common approach to conservation—entails the earmarking of state-administered ‘wildlife reserves’ within which extractive human activity is either greatly restricted, or completely halted using coercive means (Saberwal et al. 2001). It holds that, given India’s socio-economic and demographic milieu,

Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Mesoamerica: environmental and developmental perspectives

Abstract: Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) is a culturally diverse region considered a conservation priority due to its biotic richness and high endemism. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) sets out obligations and objectives for national parties to cope with biodiversity reduction, and encourages these national parties to develop measures to conserve and manage biodiversity. This paper presents trends in Mesoamerican countries in the implementation of the CBD, specifically in relation to the general measures for conservation and sustainable use (Article 6), identification and monitoring (Article 7), and in situ conservation (Article 8) derived from examination of reports from the CBD National Reports unit, questionnaires to national focal points, and interviews in the field. In general, there was increased effort toward CBD implementation and related issues. The scientific capacity, political stability, and accessibility to resources in each country, however, influenced the rate at which capacity was being built and the relative importance governments afforded to each of the CBD articles. Lack of resources or institutional limitations are identified as major impediments to fulfilling obligations. The CBD is also poorly known among actors in civil society and at several levels of administration. Overall, Costa Rica and Mexico are exceptions in the region with regard to inventory and monitoring, and the efforts to incorporate biodiversity into broader intersectoral policies. However, the measures required to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from biodiversity are poorly developed, or not developed at all, in the region. It is pivotal that, since Mesoamerica is one of the poorest regions in the world, any attempt to conserve biodiversity in the region must include sustainable use and equity.

Beyond Rhetoric: State Sovereignty, Common Concern, and the Inapplicability of the Common Heritage Concept to Plant Genetic Resources

Abstract: Until the emergence of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 and the FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources in 2001, opinion had hardened in some quarters that the principle of a common heritage of mankind regulated international transfer of plant genetic resources. By a historical analysis of customary international law in the colonial age and the recent pedigree of the principle of commonheritage, this article points out the fallacies in such arguments and contends that plants have always been subject to various national jurisdictions. It has to be conceded, however, that contemporary developments in the field of international law relating to plant genetic resources foretell the emergence of a regime of multilateral relationships governing access to plant genetic resources. If it is to depart from its unfortunate history, such a regime ofmultilateral co-operationwould have to pay serious regard to the issue of equitable access to and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

Regulating access to genetic resources under the Convention on Biological Diversity: an analysis of selected case studies

Abstract: In 1992 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed to develop and implement policies to regulate and facilitate access to genetic resources (AGR) We examine regulations and agreements in Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines in detail and discuss how these countries are implementing the AGR mandate In particular, we evaluate progress toward achieving the CBD objectives of conserving biological diversity, using its components in a sustainable manner, and equitably sharing the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources We highlight the difficulties in developing and implementing these policies, arising from the conflicting goals of regulating and facilitating AGR, as well as the special character of genetic resources, existing ex situ collections, issues of ownership and tenure, and the dearth of legal, institutional, and scientific capacity in many countries We recommend (1) independent, multidisciplinary evaluation of the success of the access policy in achieving CBD objectives, (2) resolution of the conflict between traditional land tenure and legal property rights of genetic resources so as to match conservation obligations with benefit-sharing rights, (3) recognition that benefits obtained from AGR may be entirely non-monetary, and (4) that countries provide a 'two-track' AGR application process separately for commercial and non-commercial users Abbreviations: AGR - access to genetic resources, CBD - Convention on Biological Diversity, IACBGR - Inter-Agency Committee on Biological and Genetic Resources, IPR - intellectual property rights, NGO - non-governmental organisation, USA - United States of America

The Convention on Biological Diversity adopts the International Pollinator Initiative

Abstract: The concerns about pollinator decline worldwide over recent decades have now been acknowledged internationally at the highest level. The Convention on Biological Diversity has recognized pollination as a key driver in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function within its Agricultural Biological Diversity programme. At the recent sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the convention, the International Pollinator Initiative was approved. The Plan of Action for the initiative is a challenging one not only for pollination scientists but for funding bodies and policy makers alike.

Negotiating Diversity: A Field Guide to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Abstract: Negotiating Diversity is an international field guide to the Convention that is designed to assist indigenous peoples and local communities seeking to engage with the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Field Guide explores key areas of the Convention which concern the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and identifies opportunities for engagement with the work of the Convention from the local to the international level. The guide discusses opportunities and challenges for the engagement of indigenous peoples in the period from 2000 to 2003 and is accompanied by a website of the same name. It is of interest in relation to the history of engagement with the Convention by indigenous peoples.

Blame It On Rio: Biodiscovery, Native Title, and Traditional Knowledge

Abstract: This article examines the legal responses to protect traditional knowledge of biodiversity in the wake of the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity. It considers the relative merits of the inter-locking regimes of contract law, environmental law, intellectual property law, and native title law. Part 1 considers the natural drug discovery industry in Australia. In particular, it looks at the operations of Amrad, Astra Zeneca R & D, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. This section examines the key features of the draft regulations proposed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) - model contracts, informed consent, benefit-sharing, and ministerial discretion. The use of Indigenous Land Use Agreements in the context of access to genetic resources is also explored. Part 2 considers the role played by native title law in dealing with tangible and intangible property interests. The High Court decision in Western Australia v Ward considers the relationship between native title rights and cultural knowledge. The Federal Court case of Neowarra v Western Australia provides an intriguing gloss on this High Court decision. Part 3 looks at whether traditional knowledge of biodiversity can be protected under intellectual property law. It focuses upon reforms such as Senator Aden Ridgeway's proposed amendments to the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994 (Cth), and the push to make disclosure of origin a requirement of patent law.

Geospatially structured biodiversity information as a component of a regional biodiversity clearing house

Abstract: To function effectively, the international biodiversity Clearing HouseMechanism (CHM), based on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), needs tobe rooted at the regional and local levels. This article presents an example ofhow stakeholders of regional data and information can be encouraged to formnetworks linked to national biodiversity focal points (NFPs). We pay specialattention to exploiting the geospatial properties of biodiversity data andinformation, and demonstrate how data and information can best be filtered,classified and labelled to facilitate geographically based information retrievalon the Internet. The geocodability of bibliographic reports proved to be poor,indicating an urgent need to reconsider the geographical properties ofbiodiversity information under production. Also, it is useful to utilisenetworking processes with information from fields other than biodiversity wheninitiating the network. Finally, we present and discuss problems of integrityand interoperability of data, and also the process of biodiversity informationproduction from the point of view of general information theory and innovationsoffered by modern information technology.