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UNDP-GEF projects in the focal area of biological
diversity, or biodiversity, seek to help countries protect the global
environment through an ecosystem approach that will have long-term
benefits. The importance of biodiversity is widely recognized and
the Convention
on Biological Diversity (1992) provides the guidance for projects
in this focal area. Loss of biodiversity impacts not only the ecological,
genetic and aesthetic concerns of the global community, but also
affects sustainable development, and has social, economic, cultural
and educational consequences. In this regard, the development of
scientific, technical and institutional capacity is often an intrinsic
part of UNDP-GEF projects in biodiversity. Projects aim to address
the various root causes of reduction of biological diversity, with
a focus on sustainable use that allows for the local communities
involved to see socio-economic benefits. Enabling activities are
designed to assist countries with achieving their Convention commitments.
More recently, the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety (adopted in January 2000), a supplementary
agreement to the Convention, has acknowledged the potential for
living modified organisms that are the product of modern biotechnology
to threaten biological diversity. UNDP-GEF also supports activities
related to the Protocol.
Biodiversity projects fall under the following
categories of Operational Programmes (OP). Each OP describes an
aspect of the focal area and includes eligibility criteria:
OP
1: Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems
OP
2: Coastal, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
OP
3: Forest Ecosystems
OP
4: Mountain Ecosystems
OP
12: Integrated Ecosystem Management (Multifocal)
OP
13: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity Important
to Agriculture
UNDP-GEF Project Sites
MedWetCoast
Regional Project (Arab States)
Biodiversity
Conservation in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
Conservation
and Sustainable use of Dryland Agrobiodiversity (Lebanon)
Conservation
and Sustainable Use of Tropical Peat Swamp Forests (Malaysia)
East African Cross Borders Biodiversity Project
Vietnam:
Creating Protected Areas for Resource Conservation (PARC)
Greening
the WSSD
Southern
Africa Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET)
Mongolia's
Wild Heritage: Steppes
Mekong:
Wetlands and Water Resources Programme
Cambodia:
Cardamom Mountains Project
Mountain
Areas Conservancy Project
Conservation
of the Asiatic Cheetah
Conservation
of Biodiversity in the Lake Titicaca Basin
Biodiversity Sites
UNDP-GEF Biodiversity Site
Convention
on Biological Diversity
Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety
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