The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which took place in October 2012 in Hyderabad, India, resulted in a range of outcomes to help advance the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. This meeting comes 2 years after arguably the most important meeting of the CBD—COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan—which adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 with its ambitious 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets (see Oryx, 45, 1–2).
COP 11 served to review progress and identify actions required to support the parties, in particular developing country parties, in implementing the Strategic Plan. Implementation was reiterated during the meeting as the top priority of the new CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias. The COP adopted a total of 33 decisions (http://www.cbd.int/cop11) on a wide range of topics, including those the Convention has covered since it came into force in 1993 (http://www.cbd.int/programmes).
Support for National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) was identified as a priority issue. A new partnership between the CBD and the UN Development and Environment Programmes called the NBSAP Forum was launched in Hyderabad, to assist countries with their NBSAPs and provide guidance on mainstreaming biodiversity into national development agendas (http://www.nbsapforum.net).
The mobilization of resources required for implementing the Convention was the most contentious issue on the COP agenda. The report of the High-Level Panel on Global Assessment of Resources for Implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, commissioned by the governments of UK and India (http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/cop/cop-11/official/cop-11-14-add2-en.pdf), was presented to the COP. This estimated the costs for implementing the 20 Aichi Targets at USD 150–440 billion per year (see also Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1229803).
Disagreement over baselines and the role of domestic funding versus direct flow of resources from the North to the South hampered discussions on targets for the Resource Mobilization Strategy of the Convention. After intense negotiations a decision was made very late in the final plenary that includes the target of doubling total biodiversity-related international financial resource flows to developing countries by 2015 and at least maintaining that level until 2020.
Other key decisions covered: (1) Agreement to a preliminary list of indicators for measuring progress towards achievement of the Aichi Targets. Further work will be undertaken on developing and applying the indicators. The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (http://www.bipindicators.net) will provide assistance to parties with the application of indicators at the national level. (2) The Nagoya Protocol, which has been ratified or acceded by only eight countries whereas 50 are required for it to enter into force. The Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol will reconvene for a third meeting to progress the development of the working arrangements for the new Protocol (http://www.cbd.int/abs). (3) Continuation of the process of assembling information on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, collected through regional workshops. (4) Continued engagement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in particular on biodiversity safeguards for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries. (5) Continued progress to develop guidance on linkages between biodiversity and poverty, through an expert group based on the Dehradun Recommendations on biodiversity for poverty eradication and development.
The meeting was attended by c. 6,000 representatives of governments, UN agencies, international organizations, indigenous and local communities, research and business. Hundreds of side meetings demonstrated the breadth of projects and initiatives happening on the ground for conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity. Whether the meeting outcomes translate into improvements for ecosystems, species and genetic biodiversity, or human well-being, will become more apparent over the next few years as the Convention continues to evaluate progress in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The next COP will be in the Republic of Korea in 2014.
