Research centres, international agencies join to save Earth’s biodiversity
Research centres and international agencies today joined forces to boost technical and policy skills for saving biodiversity in developing countries under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Under an agreement signed in the Brazilian city of Curitiba where the CBD is holding its key biennial meeting, the institutes will use their expertise to help developing countries substantially reduce their rate of loss of species by 2010, a target which was set four years ago at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South Africa.
“There are many ingredients that are needed to implement, to realize the 2010 target, including building the skills and know-how of experts in developing countries so they can fully take part in achieving our mutual goals,” Ahmed Djoghlaf, the CBD’s Executive Secretary, said.
In order to help do that, the alliance brings together the CBD and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History of the United States, the National Museum of Natural History of France; the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development of Saudi Arabia, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, of the United Kingdom, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Under a related but separate agreement, also signed today, an alliance of nine UN agencies and conservation organizations set up a task force made up of heads of agencies to advance the 2010 target.
The agencies involved are the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Other members of the alliance are the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and IUCN – the World Conservation Union.
The 8th Committee of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba will run until 31 March.