Biodiversity Forum to Assess Progress Towards 2010

Global Biodiversity Forum - Media Advisory

Taking Stock: Global Biodiversity Forum to Assess Progress Towards 2010 Biodiversity Target

Curitiba, Brazil, 23 March 2006 (GBF) - The Convention on Biological Diversity sets out what governments intend to do to slow down the loss of biodiversity by 2010. But how does the business sector plan to achieve that goal? What do indigenous peoples do to prevent species from going extinct? And what can NGOs contribute to avoid the biggest ever extinction crisis that the world is facing?

The Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) is an open forum for governments, civil society and the private sector. Its recommendations will be reported to the Ministerial Meeting and the debates of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Held from 24-25 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil, this year’s GBF will focus on the 2010 Biodiversity Target.

The pan-European alliance Countdown 2010, led by the World Conservation Union, is coordinating the preparation of the 2010 Biodiversity Forum. “This Forum provides an ideal vehicle to share success stories around the 2010 Biodiversity Target and to move toward implementation,” said Sebastian Winkler, Head of Countdown 2010.

Key Issues:

Five main themes have been identified for the 2010 Biodiversity Forum - raising finance, measuring progress, biodiversity trade, national and regional implementation, as well as linking biodiversity to the Millennium Development Goals – which are seen as the five most crucial challenges to achieving the 2010 Biodiversity Target.

These themes will be reflected in five interactive workshop streams, which are being organized jointly by some twenty partners from governments, civil society and the private sector.

1. Financing Biodiversity Action for Achieving the 2010 Target

Current funding is not sufficient to achieve the 2010 Target. Innovative and sustainable finance mechanisms, such as biodiversity trust funds or payment for ecosystem services, are urgently needed.

2. Measuring Progress toward the 2010 Target

More information on species populations and trends is needed to better understand the current situation and assess progress towards the 2010 Target.

3. Thinking Global and Acting Local: Taking 2010 Forward

One big obstacle in making progress towards the 2010 Target is that global decisions are not incorporated into local realities. High-level policies and targets need to be translated into local-level action.

4. 2010 for 2015: Reaffirming the role of biodiversity in achieving Millennium Development Goals

Be it health, safe drinking water or sustainable development, biodiversity is key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

5. Verifying Biodiversity Trade: 2010 Challenges

Certification of private sector trade in biodiversity-based goods and services, such as medicinal plants, is crucial to achieving the 2010 targets. Equally important is engaging small and medium sized enterprises in sustainable trade.

Materials/ Background Information:

The GBF registration pack is available at the ExpoTrade B2.5 Registration Area.
Background documents to the GBF can be found on www.gbf.ch.
For information on the CBD COP8 please check www.biodiv.org.
For details of the 2010 Biodiversity Commitment and the Countdown 2010 Initiative please check www.iucn.org and www.countdown2010.net.

ENDS

The GBF was founded in 1993 by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Resources Institute (WRI), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) and includes a number of other institutions as its convenors.

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