The document provides information about the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It discusses that CBD is an international treaty with the goals of conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable sharing of genetic resources. CBD has 196 parties and aims to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The Conference of Parties (COP) is CBD's governing body that meets every two years to review progress. CBD also has two protocols on biosafety and access to genetic resources. Sustainable use of biodiversity and fair benefit sharing from genetic resources are important principles of CBD.

1. COURSE INSTRUCTOR: MRS. RATHI BHUVANESHWARI
Convention on
Biodiversity
PRESENTED BY: JATEEN (AEM-MA-04)

2. • The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force
on 29 December 1993. CBD has two supplementary agreements - Cartagena Protocol and Nagoya Protocol.
• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international legally-binding treaty with three main goals:
1. conservation of biodiversity;
2. sustainable use of biodiversity;
3. fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
• With 196 Parties, the CBD has near universal participation among countries.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
https://www.cbd.int/information/parties.shtml

3. • The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) is based in Montreal, Canada.
• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides funding to assist developing countries in meeting the objectives of
international environmental conventions.
• The GEF serves as a "financial mechanism" to five conventions: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Headquarter & Funding agencies
https://www.cbd.int/gti/funding.shtml

4. • The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) provides a global legal framework for action on biodiversity.
• CBD brings together the Parties in the Conference of the Parties (COP) which is the Convention’s governing body that meets
every two years, or as needed, to review progress in the implementation of the Convention, to adopt programmes of work, to achieve
its objectives, and provide policy guidance.
• The agenda of the meetings of the COP is very wide-ranging, reflecting the programme of work the COP has established for itself.
• COP also sets out a series of provisional agenda of its meetings, namely:
• Organizational matters;
• Reports from subsidiary bodies, the financial mechanism and the Executive Secretary;
• Review of the implementation of the programme of work;
• Priority issues for review and guidance.
Conference of the Parties (COP)

5. Meetings of the Conference of the
Parties
COP 15 -Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity
Kunming, China, Dates to be confirmed
COP 14 -Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 17 - 29 November 2018
COP 13 -Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity
Cancun, Mexico, 4 - 17 December 2016
COP 12 -Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity
Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, 6 - 17 October 2014
COP 11 -Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity
Hyderabad, India, 8 - 19 October 2012
COP 10 -Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity
Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, 18 - 29 October 2010
COP 9 -Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity
Bonn, Germany, 19 - 30 May 2008
COP 8 -Eighth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Curitiba, Brazil, 20 - 31 March 2006
COP 7 -Seventh Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9 - 20 February 2004
COP 6 -Sixth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Hague, Netherlands, 7 - 19 April 2002
COP 5 -Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Nairobi, Kenya, 15 - 26 May 2000
EXCOP 1 -First Extraordinary Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Cartagena, Colombia & Montreal, Canada, 22 - 23 February
1999 & 24 - 28 January 2000
COP 4 -Fourth Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Bratislava, Slovakia, 4 - 15 May 1998
COP 3 -Third Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 4 - 15 November 1996
COP 2 -Second Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Jakarta, Indonesia, 6 - 17 November 1995
COP 1 -First Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Nassau, Bahamas, 28 November - 9 December 1994

6. Major themes at meetings of the Conference of the
Parties
First ordinary meeting
Guidance to the financial mechanism;
Medium-term programme of work;
Second ordinary meeting
Marine and coastal biological diversity;
Access to genetic resources;
Conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;
Biosafety;
Third ordinary meeting
Agricultural biodiversity;
Financial resources and mechanism;
Identification, monitoring and assessment;
Intellectual property rights;
Fourth ordinary meeting
Inland water ecosystems;
Review of the operations of the Convention;
Article 8(j) and related issues (traditional knowledge);
Benefit sharing;
Fifth ordinary meeting
Dryland, mediterranean, arid, semi-arid, grassland and savannah
ecosystems;
Sustainable use, including tourism;
Access to genetic resources;
Sixth ordinary meeting
Forest ecosystems; Alien species;
Benefit-sharing;
Strategic plan 2002-2010;
Seventh ordinary meeting
Mountain ecosystems;
Protected areas;
Transfer of technology and technology cooperation.
Eighth ordinary meeting
Island biodiversity;
Biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands;
Global Taxonomy Initiative;
Access and benefit-sharing (Article 15);
Article 8(j) and related provisions;
Communication, education and public awareness (Article 13).
Ninth ordinary meeting
Agricultural biodiversity;
Global Strategy for Plant Conservation;
Invasive alien species;
Forest biodiversity;
Incentive measures;
Ecosystem approach;
Progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan and
progress towards the 2010 traget and relevant Millennium
Development Goals;
Financial resources and the financial mechanism.

7. • At COP 13, countries called for the reintroduction of agriculture, forestry and fisheries into the list of strategic actions for
mainstreaming and integrating biodiversity.
• Fisheries will be one of the main themes discussed at the High-Level Segment of COP 13.
• Mexico, the host country of COP 13, has put in place sustainable management regulations for fish sanctuary areas, to
promote the sustainable use of resources and to safeguard native species, that can be followed by other parties to the
CBD, in order to achieve sustainable management of fish resources, as well as some of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
and Sustainable Development Goals.
• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has focused on sustainable fisheries to support global food security. This
focus on sustainable fisheries is embodied in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
• In addition, the CBD’s work on such issues as ocean acidification, coral reefs and ecologically or biologically significant
marine areas (EBSAs) provide an important means by which to advance towards the sustainable use of oceans.
COP 13 (Theme- Fisheries)

9. • The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty. It was
adopted on 29 January 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity and entered into
force on 11 September 2003.
• The Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by genetically modified
organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
• The Protocol includes the advance informed agreement procedure which sets rules on how Parties should take
decisions regarding the transboundary movement of LMOs for intentional introduction into the environment,
including living modified fish for biocontrol of non-native and invasive species.
The Cartagena Protocol

10. • The Nagoya Protocol onAccess to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of BenefitsArising from
their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on
Biological Diversity.
• It also known as the Nagoya Protocol onAccess and Benefit Sharing (ABS) came into force in 2010.
• It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD:
the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
• Criticism: Many scientists have voiced concern over the protocol, fearing the increased conservation efforts[7], and that
the threat of possible imprisonment of scientists will have a chilling effect on research.
The Nagoya Protocol

11. • There is an article published on 19th January, 2019 which suggests that there should be some rectification in the rules and
regulations of CBD as it is restricting scientific research.

12. • Aichi Biodiversity Targets : Fisheries are of great relevance to several of theAichi Biodiversity Targets, a set of time-
bound targets agreed by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, especially Target 6, which
seeks to ensure that, by 2020, all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested
sustainably.
• Aset of 20 global targets under the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. They are grouped under five strategic
goals:
A.Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society.
B. Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.
C. Improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.
D. Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services.
E. Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building.
Aichi Biodiversity Targets

17. • The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 1992, officially defines biodiversity as, “The variability among living
organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological
complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.”
• The main threats to our biodiversity are:
• loss, fragmentation and degradation of habitat
• the spread of invasive species
• unsustainable use of natural resources
• climate change
• inappropriate fire regimes
• changes to the aquatic environment and water flows
1. Biodiversity and its conservation

18. • Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth, and is richest in the
tropics. These tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10 percent of
earth's surface, and contain about 90 percent of the world's species.
• Estimates of the number of existing species in the world vary from
about 5 to 100 million , of which only some 1.4 million have been
described scientifically.

19. • The Conservation of Biological Diversity constitutes one of today's greatest challenges, as environmental degradation world-
wide has led to species extinction at a unprecedented rate.
• The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.
• The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species
at high risk of global extinction. It divides species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern,
Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.
Why there is need of biodiversity conservation ??
https://www.iucnredlist.org

20. • The CBD attempts to preserve biological resources in their natural surroundings and habitats (in-situ) and outside of
their natural habitat (ex-situ).
• In-situ conservation strategies encompass the establishment of protected areas, the preservation of ecosystems, and the
rehabilitation of contaminated areas. States are also encouraged to employ ex-situ measures to preserve biological
resources including the establishment of facilities for the conservation and research of plants, animal and micro-
organisms.
Contd…

21. • The Bio Convention or CBD is not the first international treaty to address species or habitat conservation, but it is the
first to address conservation of all biological diversity and the first to include sustainable utilization of these resources.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is one of the most important global measures concerned with habitat protection
(Ramsar, 1971).
• For the Arctic area, there is the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR,
Canberra, 1980). Whales (ICRW, Washington, 1946) and tuna (ICCAT, Rio de Janeiro, 1966) have their own
Conventions.
• Another example is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES,
Washington, DC, 1973).
History of biodiversity conservation

22. 2. Sustainable use of biodiversity
• To use biodiversity in a sustainable manner means to use natural resources at a rate that the Earth can renew them.
It’s a way to ensure that we meet the needs of both present and future generations.

23. • Within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), sustainable use principles are applied to the sectors that most affect
biodiversity, such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, and water management.
• In 2004, CBD Parties adopted theAddisAbaba Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, a set of 14
principles that apply to all activities and areas related to above mentioned sectors.
• The 2010 Living Planet Report reveals that humanity’s Ecological Footprint has more than doubled since 1966.
(www.footprintnetwork.org)
• Illegal logging and illegal harvesting of forest products are a serious problem, costing an estimated US$15 billion per year.
Rare tree species and those with high value for timber or non-timber forest products are in danger of becoming locally
extinct.
Contd…

24. • To bring sustainable development in the mainstream United Nations (UN) launched the 2030Agenda for Sustainable
Development and SDGs.
• This universal, integrated and transformative agenda aims to spur actions that will end poverty and build a more sustainable
world over the next 15 years.
• There are 17 goals and 169 targets specific targets to be achieved by 2030. Reaching the goals requires action on all fronts –
governments, businesses, civil society and people everywhere all have a role to play.
• SDGs are not legally binding.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

26. • Genetic diversity or variability is a necessary condition for sustainability of both wild and domesticated plants and
animals, and also for the development of new and improved products.
• Fair and equitable distribution of benefits refers to the measures taken to ensure that the benefits arising from the
utilization of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, as well as the subsequent applications and
commercialization, are shared in a fair and equitable way among all those organizations or communities identified as
having contributed to resource management, research and development, and/or commercialization.
• To be ‘fair and equitable’, benefit-sharing should reflect the efforts of national authorities and of stakeholders such as
communities, institutions and companies in making the genetic resource available (through conserving, allowing
access to, providing information on, and collecting it) and using it (conducting research and development, etc.)
3. Fair and Equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

27. • Among the direct benefitsof using genetic resources are the creation of information, products and technologies. These
can be used directly to meet peoples’needs, but can also be applied to create other, indirect ‘benefits’. For example,
knowledge gained by participation in research on genetic resources can be used to add value to genetic resources in a
country of origin, creating employment, and promoting trade.
• An example illustrating unequal benefit sharing , the enzyme DNApolymerase (Taq polymerase) was obtained
from a thermophile named Thermus aquaticus collected under a no-obligation scientific research permit in 1966, in
thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
• This enzyme is used in a wide range of biotechnological applications and generates annual sales greater than US$200
million (Lindstrom, 1997). In contrast, the annual operating budget of the United States National Park Service is
around US$20 million.
• This experience led the United States National Park Service to examine options for controlling access to resources and
requiring benefit-sharing, and resulted in the 1997 Cooperative Research and DevelopmentAgreement between
Diversa Corporation and Yellowstone.
Contd….

28. 1. International Whaling Commission (IWC), 1946 - to provide conservation of whale stocks
2. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) , 1951
3. International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN), 1964
4. Ramsar Convention, 1971- for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands
5. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), 1973
6. Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), 1979
•
International Conventions (Biodiversity Related Conventions)

29. 7. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), 1972- International protection of the environment
8. Vienna convention, 1985 - for the protection of the ozone layer
9. Montreal Protocol, 1987 - to control Ozone-depleting Substances
10. Earth Summit/ United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)/ Rio Declaration, 1992
1. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992
2. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 1992
3. Agenda 21, 1992
11. Kyoto Protocol (COP 3), 1997 - to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations
12. Rotterdam Convention, 1998 - Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
Contd…

30. • Cheetah is the only flagship species to become extinct in India. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of
Nature) Red List has categorized Cheetah as Vulnerable.
• On January 28, 2020, the Supreme Court of India cleared way for the reintroduction of Cheetah Project. It is expected
that the National Tiger ConservationAuthority will reintroduce this mammal in Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Global goals to reduce biodiversity loss will be revised this year.All eyes are on China, which must ensure the new
targets are measurable and meaningful.
• Due to the evolving nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
has moved to hold many meetings virtually and has postponed others.
Recent news related to CBD

32. • The Convention on Biological Diversity has provided an invaluable forum for the exchange of ideas and promotion of agendas that
have received limited governmental attention elsewhere.
• In the area of access and benefit-sharing these include traditional resource rights, concepts of equity in the trade and exchange of
genetic resources, prior informed consent from local communities and broader issues raised by relationships among companies,
researchers and local groups.
• Many of these concerns are manifested at the unique intersection of environmental, trade and ethical issues in the CBD.
• However, access and benefit-sharing is in some ways a new package of policy issues, and will require many years of local, national
and international innovation, dialogue and trial and error to implement effectively in practice.
CONCLUSION

33. • Balmford,A., Bennun, L., Ten Brink, B., Cooper, D., Côté, I.M., Crane, P., Dobson,A., Dudley, N., Dutton, I., Green,
R.E. and Gregory, R.D., 2005. The convention on biological diversity's 2010 target. Science, 307(5707), pp.212-213.
• Herrera Izaguirre, J.A., 2008. The 1992 united nations convention on biological diversity. Boletín mexicano de derecho
comparado, 41(122), pp.1023-1040.
• Laird, S.A., 2001. The Convention on Biological Diversity: changing ethical and legal frameworks for biodiversity
research and prospecting. UNASYLVA-FAO-, pp.22-30.
• Vinuesa, R.,Azizpour, H., Leite, I., Balaam, M., Dignum, V., Domisch, S., Felländer,A., Langhans, S.D., Tegmark, M.
and Nerini, F.F., 2020. The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Nature
Communications, 11(1), pp.1-10.
• https://cbd.int/doc/articles/2002-/A-00473.pdf.Last visited on 21.04.2020.
• https://www.cbd.int/idb/image/2016/promotional-material/idb-2016-press-brief-fish.pdf. Last visited on 21.04.2020.
• THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY-ORIGINAND DEVELOPMENT
Reference

34. Thank You!!