Convention on Biological Diversity
Robert Höft, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Worku Yifru, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Published online: January 2017
DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020474.pub2
Abstract
The Convention on Biological Diversity is the key global instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. Through a globally agreed
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and related global Aichi targets, the Convention promotes, among other things, the
maintenance of healthy ecosystems, the protection of threatened species and the conservation of the genetic material that
underpins populations of wild and domesticated species. Increasingly, nongovernmental organisations, civil society groups
and indigenous and local communities work through the Convention to urge governments to live up to their commitments and to
support them, for example, in the establishment and effective management of protected area networks. As population growth
and economic pressures enlarge humanity's ecological footprint, it remains to be seen whether the Convention is an effective
tool for conserving the beauty, diversity and inspiring nature of our living environment for future generations to enjoy.
Key Concepts
- International Conventions and protocols.
- Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
- Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
- Biodiversity targets.
- National biodiversity strategies and action plans.
Keywords: Convention on Biological Diversity; Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020; Aichi Biodiversity Targets; Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit‐Sharing; United Nations Environment Programme
Further Reading
Biosafety and the Environment, http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/bs‐brochure‐04‐en.pdf
Decisions of the Conference of the Parties, http://www.cbd.int/decisions/default.shtml
Decisions of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, http://www.cbd.int/decisions/mop.shtml
Global Biodiversity Outlook, http://www.cbd.int/gbo4
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, including Aichi Biodiversity Targets, https://www.cbd.int/sp/default.shtml
Sustaining life on earth: How the Convention promotes nature and human well‐being, http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd‐sustain‐en.pdf
Text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, http://www.cbd.int/biosafety/protocol.shtml
Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity, http://www.cbd.int/convention/convention.shtml
Text of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit‐sharing, https://www.cbd.int/abs/text/default.shtml
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: A record of the negotiations, http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/bs‐brochure‐03‐en.pdf
The Convention on Biological Diversity: From conception to implementation, http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/CBD‐10th‐anniversary.pdf
The Convention on Biological Diversity: Social, economic and legal challenges, http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/sel‐brochure‐en.pdf