The Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) is an international legally-binding treaty with three main goals: conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Just to recap, components of biodiversity are all the various forms of life on Earth, including ecosystems, animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, and genetic diversity. The ultimate goal of the CBD is to encourage actions that will eventually lead to a sustainable future.
The conservation of biodiversity is a concern that continues to grow stronger and stronger. The CBD takes all levels of biodiversity into account, including ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. It not only covers biotechnology too, but all possible domains that are directly or indirectly related to biodiversity and its role in development, ranging from science, politics and education to agriculture, business, culture and beyond.
The CBD’s governing body is the Conference of the Parties (COP). This ultimate authority of all governments (or Parties) that have ratified the treaty meets every two years to review progress, set priorities, and commit to work plans.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) is based in Montreal, Canada. Its main function is to assist governments in the implementation of the CBD and its programmes of work, to organize meetings, draft documents, and coordinate with other international organizations and collect and spread information. The Executive Secretary is the head of the Secretariat.
Although substantial investments are required to fulfill the goal of CBD and conserve biodiversity, it will bring significant environmental, economic and social benefits in return. In fact, a post-2020 global biodiversity framework is being adopted as a stepping stone towards the 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with nature”. This contains a set of principles to guide its implementation, an organization of work and sets out a comprehensive consultation process, including provisions for global, regional and thematic consultation meetings. An information note on ways and means to contribute to the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework has also been developed to provide background information and to outline various opportunities for Parties, other Governments, and all relevant organizations and stakeholders to participate.
For more information, visit:
https://www.cbd.int/doc/legal/cbd-en.pdf
https://www.cbd.int/conferences/post2020
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 