Spotlight

Participating countries will receive
up to US$ 20,000 and technical
support to measure progress
towards the 2010 Biodiversity
Targets.

World sets 2010 deadline
for reduced biodiversity loss

Achieving a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth by 2010 is the target of a strategic plan bythe Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP CBD), endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and recently marked by the international community by the declaration of 2010 as the International Year for Biological Diversity.

A series of 11 outcome-oriented indicators, known as the 2010 Biodiversity Commitments, have been drawn up to support the COP CBD plan. They are to:

• Promote the conservation of the biological diversity of ecosystems, habitats and biomes
• Promote the conservation of species diversity
• Promote the conservation of genetic diversity
• Promote sustainable use and consumption
• Reduce pressures from habitat loss, land use change and degradation, and unsustainable water use
• Control threats from invasive alien species
• Address challenges to biodiversity from climate change, and pollution
• Maintain capacity of ecosystems to deliver goods and services and support livelihoods
• Maintain socio-cultural diversity of indigenous and local communities
• Ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources
• Parties have improved financial, human, scientific, technical and technological capacity to implement the CBD

The goals were designed provide a flexible framework within which national and/or regional targets could be developed, according to national priorities and capacities, and taking into account differences in diversity between countries. The 2010 Biodiversity Targets have also been fully integrated into the framework of the Millennium Development Goals.

A new, two-phase, US$ 3.465 million (GEF grant US$ 2.000 million) project – Support to GEF Eligible CBD Parties for Carrying Out 2010 Biodiversity Targets National Assessments –  has been designed to help countries assess and report their progress towards the targets .The project will provide up to $20,000 per country) along with technical support to a maximum of 88 interested countries so that a national participatory assessment process can be used to assess each country’s progress.

The project will also help countries meet a March 2009 deadline for submission of their fourth national report to the CBD. The deadline is crucial for the production of the CBD’s Third Global Biodiversity Outlook publication and the preparation of material for the COP’s 10th meeting in 2010 – the International Year for Biological Diversity.

Activities will include data gathering, stakeholder consultations, as well as reporting and communicating on the 2010 Biodiversity Targets. The project will use the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) of the CBD as well as on-line resources in order to develop, update and exchange information as well as facilitate networking among countries, the CBD, GEF agencies and other interested partners, organizations and individuals.

This GEF project is being jointly implemented by UNDP and UNEP and executed by the National Environment Ministries/Departments in the participating countries. Other partners include the Convention on Biodiversity Secretariat, UNDP Biodiversity Global Programme, the MDG Support Programme (hosted by UNDP), the Countdown 2010 Initiative, the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership Project and the Global Environment Facility Secretariat.

Project write up