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.

Conservation (In)Action: Renewing the Relevance of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves

Abstract: The research and policy landscape for biodiversity conservation is changing. Protected areas are now expected to meet a broad range of objectives including effective and equitable management. In this new landscape, organizations strive to find ways to ensure the rights of local and Indigenous peoples are respected while conservation scientists have endorsed the need for platforms for international research and practice. For 40 years, a growing international network of sites support such research and practice, yet, it has been underutilized and largely ignored by scientists and decision-makers alike. To better understand this paradox, this article explores the evolution of the World Network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves internationally and its application in Canada. Analysis of archived materials, a national survey of practitioners, and interviews with past and present members of Canada's national committee reveals an expanded mandate for biosphere reserves beyond conservation science and biodiversity protection. The article recommends that to support the expanded conservation agenda, biosphere reserves work with governments and conservation scientists to connect more effectively with global concerns and initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals; establish appropriate, reliable, and active transdisciplinary partnerships; and meaningfully engage a broader range of knowledge holders.

Sharing the benefits of genetic resources: from biodiversity to human genetics.

Abstract: Benefit sharing aims to achieve an equitable exchange between the granting of access to a genetic resource and the provision of compensation. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, is the only international legal instrument setting out obligations for sharing the benefits derived from the use of biodiversity. The CBD excludes human genetic resources from its scope, however, this article considers whether it should be expanded to include those resources, so as to enable research subjects to claim a share of the benefits to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Our conclusion on this question is: 'No, the CBD should not be expanded to include human genetic resources.' There are essential differences between human and non-human genetic resources, and, in the context of research on humans, an essentially fair exchange model is already available between the health care industry and research subjects. Those who contribute to research should receive benefits in the form of accessible new health care products and services, suitable for local health needs and linked to economic prosperity (e.g. jobs). When this exchange model does not apply, as is often the case in developing countries, individually negotiated benefit sharing agreements between researchers and research subjects should not be used as 'window dressing'. Instead, national governments should focus their finances on the best economic investment they could make; the investment in population health and health research as outlined by the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health; whilst international barriers to such spending need to be removed.

Urban Biodiversity Gains New Converts

Abstract: Nature is being brought back into urban life—and that bodes well for efforts to conserve global diversity. Cities are supporting a range of efforts, including restoring watersheds; expanding and linking conserved areas; encouraging green roofs and local green gardening; reintroducing native fauna and flora to parks and walkways; removing the constructed covers over brooks, streams, and rivers (referred to as daylighting waterways); and encouraging educational outreach programs and green architectural design. From Stockholm and Malmo in Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark; Curitiba, Brazil; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; Chicago; New York City; and Singapore, cities are revitalizing the potential for biodiversity. There is much new thinking going on. Timothy Beatley, University of Virginia professor of environmental and urban planning, extends biophilia— biologist E. O. Wilson’s term for an inherent human affinity for other species and natural communities—to city planning. His “biophilic cities” steward and restore their natural and cultivated biodiversity. Beatley details this urban vision in Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature into Urban Design and Planning. “My vision of a vibrant, compact, walkable, sustainable city has within and without it lots of nature— horizontally, vertically in all the spaces of the city,” he said Summit convened for the second time. The summit was held in Hyderabad, India, in conjunction with the biannual Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Attended by over 500 people, including over 60 mayors or municipal leaders, the Cities for Life Summit showcased the CBD-requested report in an interview. New parks are being planted with native species, and many experts write about the health benefits of urban biodiversity. “With nature in the city,” Beatley explains, “we are more social and healthier. Nature... is uniquely suited to bring us together.” Urban biodiversity got a boost in October 2012, when the Cities for Life