Convention on Biological Diversity

About: Convention on Biological Diversity is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2232 publications have been published within this topic receiving 65599 citations. The topic is also known as: CBD & United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

Women and biodiversity: The long journey from users to policy-makers

Abstract: Although there has been a broad acknowledgment that women’s local and traditional knowledge is fundamental to guarantee food security and conserve biological diversity, few women are represented at the managerial and decision-making level of environmental movements and organizations. The United Nations, its agencies and agreements have long promoted the full and effective participation of women in decision-making processes. So how can commitments contained in international agreements be translated into concrete actions? By using the case of the Convention on Biological Diversity, one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, this article analyses how gender-equitable initiatives tend to assume an ad hoc character with few governments effectively involving women in their sustainable development strategies. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the United Nations or its subsidiary bodies.

Biodiversity Since Rio: The Future of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Abstract: The case for protecting biodiversity has many dimensions. The direct economic returns - mainly in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and biotechnology - are numerous, though prone to overstatement.(14) The number and value of drags such as aspirin and taxol (first identified in the wild but now synthesized) are likely to be small.(15) Examples abound of crop-threatening diseases such as wheat rust for which resistant strains were found in the wild, protected in gene banks, and crossbred into domesticated species. More productive and disease-resistant crop species have allowed agricultural production to grow faster than the human population even though the amount of land devoted to agriculture has remained roughly constant.(16) While many biodiversity-rich forests have been harvested for timber, a recent study of the Peruvian rain forest calculated that the net present value of sustainable rubber, fruit, and timber harvests is $6,820 per hectare - more than six times the mill value of clear-cut timber.(17) Sustainable uses that protect biodiversity can clearly be cost-effective, although the value of forests (which is based on location, markets, and products) may vary by a factor of 400.(18)

Developing ecosystem service indicators: Experiences and lessons learned from sub-global assessments and other initiatives

Abstract: People depend upon ecosystems to supply a range of services necessary for their survival and well-being. Ecosystem service indicators are critical for knowing whether or not these essential services are being maintained and used in a sustainable manner, thus enabling policy makers to identify the policies and other interventions needed to better manage them. As a result, ecosystem service indicators are of increasing interest and importance to governmental and inter-governmental processes, including amongst others the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Aichi Targets contained within its strategic plan for 2011-2020, as well as the emerging Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Despite this growing demand, assessing ecosystem service status and trends and developing robust indicators is o!en hindered by a lack of information and data, resulting in few available indicators. In response, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), together with a wide range of international partners and supported by the Swedish International Biodiversity Programme (SwedBio)*, undertook a project to take stock of the key lessons that have been learnt in developing and using ecosystem service indicators in a range of assessment contexts. The project examined the methodologies, metrics and data sources employed in delivering ecosystem service indicators, so as to inform future indicator development. This report presents the principal results of this project.

Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA): A Toolkit for National Focal Points and NBSAP Coordinators

Abstract: Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) are important instruments for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. CEPA provides the link from science and ecology to people’s social and economic reality. It supplies the oil for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and deals with the processes that motivate and mobilize individual and collective action. It comprises a range of social instruments including information exchange, dialogue, education, and marketing. The toolkit has been developed by the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) for the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is meant for CBD focal points and those responsible for the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP). The toolkit offers information to update knowledge and skills with fact sheets, checklists and practical examples from all over the world.