Paris, 12 July 2007 -
A multi-million dollar effort to track the
fate and fortune of the world's biological
diversity is being launched today by the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
with funding from the Global Environment
Facility (GEF).
The 2010 Biodiversity Indicator Partnership
aims to complete a set of indicators that
will allow the international community to
better assess whether conservation efforts
are succeeding towards the target of 'reducing
the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010'.
"This new partnership helps ensure
that the bar is raised around the globe
for accounting for biodiversity loss,"
stated GEF CEO Monique Barbut. "It
is more important than ever for the biodiversity
community to elevate its discourse and to
reinforce the relevance of biodiversity
conservation to sustainable economic development
in the 21st Century. The biodiversity challenge
is no less urgent a public issue than the
climate change crisis; this effort helps
move biodiversity to the front burner to
help ignite policy makers to take informed
action."
Several indicators already exist which are
giving an insight into how well the world
is addressing the biodiversity challenge.
The Red List of Threatened Species, compiled
by IUCN-the World Conservation Union-estimates
that nearly one in four mammals, one in
three amphibians, and one in eight birds
is threatened with extinction.
The main driving force is human impact
ranging from deforestation and pollution
to over-exploitation for food and as part
of the illegal wildlife trade. The Red List
Indices have so far been completed for amphibians
and birds. Global trends for other groups
are expected in the near future.
Protected areas, considered an important
strategy for conservation of plants and
animals, also contribute to another of the
biodiversity indicators while at the same
time forming part of assessment of the success
of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
The Goals, due to be met by 2015, cover
poverty eradication up to the provision
of safe and sufficient drinking water.
The indicator of Protected Areas shows
that around 12 per cent of the Earth's land
surface is currently covered by more than
105,000 protected areas. However, the area
of sea and ocean under protection is relatively
tiny: just 0.6 per cent of the ocean's surface
area and 1.4 per cent of coastal shelf areas
are protected.
This has major implications for the sustainability
of marine resources including fish and shellfish
and for the livelihoods of coastal communities
that are reliant upon their continued supply.
Other existing indicators include forest
cover and the generation of nitrogen from
sources such as fossil fuel burning, industry
and fertilizer which can impact on biodiversity
and wildlife habitats.
Under the new $8.8 million partnership,
which has secured over $3.6 million from
the GEF, a wider range of existing and new
indicators will be brought together to gain
greater and deeper insight into whether
the 2010 Biodiversity Target is on course.
Some of the new indicators, emerging from
a list chosen by the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), include threats to biodiversity;
the degree to which forests, farmlands and
fisheries are managed in a way that protects
biodiversity; the extent to which people
are affected by changes in biodiversity
and the contribution of traditional knowledge
to the biodiversity target.
There will also be a focus on the components
of biodiversity including genes, species
and ecosystems. Several of the new indicators
will require a comprehensive gathering of
data exercise including trends in the spread
of invasive alien species and trends in
the health and well being of communities
dependent on the goods and services provided
by local ecosystems.
The 2010 Biodiversity Target was set in
2002 by the Parties to the CBD - who now
number 189 countries and the European Community.
The Target, endorsed by leaders at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development held in
2002 and at the UN Summit held in 2005 attended
by 150 Heads of State and Government, has
now been included within the Millennium
Development Goals.
Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary
of the CBD said: "The launch of this
project could not come at a better time.
Last month, at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm,
the Heads of State and Government committed
themselves to step up efforts for the conservation
and sustainable use of biodiversity in order
to meet the Johannesburg target of a significant
reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss
by 2010. This project will be an important
contribution to achieving that target and
I want to thank most sincerely the GEF and
UNEP and all partners for supporting this
crucial work."
Notes to Editors
UNEP and the GEF will officially launch
the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership
project during the second meeting of the
Ad-Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Review
of Implementation of the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
It will take place on Thursday 12 July,
from 13.15 to 14.45, in Salle II at the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) headquarters
in Paris.
The 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership
was formed in October 2005, during a project
development phase funded by the Global Environment
Facility and the UK Government. This launch
event marks the start of the full, GEF-funded
project, the first phase of which will run
from mid-2007 to mid-2010.
The Partnership is composed of more than
forty Partners from around the world, including
U.N. agencies (such as FAO, UNEP and UNESCO),
scientific research institutions (such as
the University of British Columbia's Fisheries
Centre and the Zoological Society of London's
Institute of Zoology), and non-governmental
organisations (such as IUCN, BirdLife International,
and WWF International).
The majority of the 2010BIP Partner organisations
are involved in developing biodiversity
indicators - that is, collecting and analysing
data to show trends in aspects of biodiversity
over time. Other Partners are involved in
issues such as communications and outreach,
and use of the indicators (e.g. by national
governments, regional bodies, and other
conservationists).
The 2010BIP is coordinated by a Secretariat
based at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring
Centre in Cambridge, UK. The role of the
Secretariat is to bring together the work
of all the Partner organisations to ensure
coordinated implementation and delivery,
and subsequently to ensure streamlined communication
of Partners' outputs.
The 2010BIP project will deliver three
major outcomes:
1. The existence of a 2010 Biodiversity
Indicators Partnership generating information
useful to decision-makers.
2. The implementation and availability
of improved global indicators.
3. National governments and regional organisations
using and contributing to the improved delivery
of global indicators.
Contact Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson,
Clare Fleming, Global Environment Facility
(GEF
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