21/05/2010 - On May
22 it is celebrated the International Day
for Biological Diversity. Several events
will be promoted all over the world. Brazil
will also commemorate the date promoting
several activities.
On Friday (May 21),
the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro will
host the launch of the online list of species
of the Brazilian flora, which is a result
of the creation, in 2009, of the National
Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora).
On the same day and place it will be launched
the Portuguese version of the Global Biodiversity
Outlook, produced by the United Nations
Convention on Biological Diversity.
In São Paulo,
the International Day for Biological Diversity
will be celebrated this Saturday in the
Ibirapuera Park during an event that also
anticipates the celebration of the National
Day for the Atlantic Forest (celebrated
on May 27). The defenders of the biome will
meet to discuss the actions that have been
carried out to curb the destruction of the
forest, which has already lost more than
70% of its original vegetation.
Zoos - To celebrate
the International Day for Biological Diversity,
fifteen zoos around the country will promote
workshops for about 20,000 children. They
will create masks of typical animals of
the Brazilian fauna.
The goal is to stimulate
children's knowledge about biodiversity
and the characteristics of some typical
animals of Brazil. In addition, each zoo
will receive copies of a book on Brazilian
fauna, which will be distributed among educators.
To access the programming
in other cities, visit:
http://diadabiodiversidade.ning.com/
(in Portuguese only)
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An enhanced communication
tool for a new biodiversity era
21/05/2010 - Secretariat
of the Convention on Biological Diversity
/ United Nations Environment Programme
The new look and feel
of the website of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) will be launched on 22 May
2010 to mark the annual celebration of the
International Day for Biological Diversity.
This new design is an
important milestone in the ongoing process
of maintaining a high-quality CBD website
in the rapidly-changing world of Internet
communications.
In announcing the changes,
CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf said,
"This initiative aligns the website
of the CBD with the most modern trends in
web design and offers a clean, user-friendly
and accessible layout for the rich content
on our site. The design gives us flexibility
in announcing key initiatives, events and
other information." He added, "With
the increasing contributions and commitments
of our partners, we are delighted to have
a platform that allows us to improve the
dissemination of information from the dynamic
community of biodiversity stakeholders."
The improvements of
the website have been made possible thanks
to support from the Government of Japan.
This support already enabled the creation
of a website dedicated to the International
Year of Biodiversity (www.cbd.int/2010),
as well as a presence on the Facebook social
network (www.facebook.com/iyb2010) with
more than 30,000 fans.
Further enhancements
are planned as resources become available.
Priority areas include online services for
knowledge-sharing and collaboration in the
context of communication, education and
public awareness, and in accordance with
decision IX/30 on the clearing-house mechanism.
Making the CBD website
available in all six United Nations languages
is also a priority, yet quite a challenging
goal. To cope with this issue, the CBD Secretariat
is gradually integrating modern translation
systems into its web infrastructure, in
order to optimize the impact of donor contributions,
particularly from the Governments of Spain
and Japan, and from the "Organisation
Internationale de la Francophonie".
Last year more than
1.2 million visitors accessed the CBD website
and more are expected to do so in 2010,
the International Year of Biodiversity.
This website will also be a key communication
tool during major upcoming meetings, such
as the High Level Event of the 65th Session
of the United Nations General Assembly in
New York on 22 September 2010 with the participation
of Heads of States and Governments, as well
as the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit to be
held in Japan in October 2010 (www.cdb.int/cop10).
The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD)
Opened for signature
at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in
1992, and entering into force in December
1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity
is an international treaty for the conservation
of biodiversity, the sustainable use of
the components of biodiversity and the equitable
sharing of the benefits derived from the
use of genetic resources. With 193 Parties,
the Convention has near universal participation
among countries. The Convention seeks to
address all threats to biodiversity and
ecosystem services, including threats from
climate change, through scientific assessments,
the development of tools, incentives and
processes, the transfer of technologies
and good practices and the full and active
involvement of relevant stakeholders including
indigenous and local communities, youth,
NGOs, women and the business community.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a supplementary
treaty to the Convention, seeks to protect
biological diversity from the potential
risks posed by living modified organisms
resulting from modern biotechnology. To
date, 156 countries and the European Community
are party to the Protocol. The Secretariat
of the Convention and its Cartagena Protocol
is located in Montreal.
For more information visit www.cbd.int
The Clearing-House Mechanism
(CHM) of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Clearing-House Mechanism
(CHM) is the information exchange platform
of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Created in accordance with Article 18(3),
it has evolved into a global network of
websites with the CBD website as its central
node. This website and its CHM online services
have been playing an increasing role in
sharing information among the biodiversity
community and in raising public awareness
on biodiversity issues.
For more information
visit www.cbd.int/chm
The International Day
for Biological Diversity
www.cbd.int/idb
The 2010 International
Year of Biodiversity
www.cbd.int/2010 or www.facebook.com/iyb2010
ACTO discusses action
plan to protect biodiversity
17/05/2010 - The member
countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty
Organization (ACTO) - Bolivia, Brazil, Peru,
Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and
Suriname - will work together on conservation
and the sustainable use of biodiversity
in the Amazon Rainforest.
On May 6 and 7, representatives
from these countries met in Lima (Peru)
to negotiate a Biodiversity Action Plan.
The initiative encourages the exchange of
experiences. One of the most debated topics
was the management of protected areas.
The proposal of an action
plan to be implemented in the region contributes
to the preparations for the United Nations
Conference on Biodiversity (COP-10), which
happens at the end of the year in Nagoya,
Japan.
"The countries
will arrive in Nagoya with a plan specifically
directed to the Amazon, responding to the
desires of the members of ACTO and strengthening
the regional vision, with a focus on the
sovereignty of each nation", explains
the director of the Department of Coordination
of Policies for the Amazon at the Brazilian
Ministry of the Environment (MMA), Mauro
Pires.
According to Júlio
Baena, from the Office for International
Affairs of the MMA, the plan will include:
research, technology and innovation in biodiversity;
protected areas management; and monitoring
and control of endangered species of wild
fauna and flora.
For Giovanna Palazzi,
from the Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity
Conservation (ICMBio), the action plan will
strengthen national systems of protected
areas. The plan will also encourage collaborative
management, particularly in frontier areas.
"Biodiversity knows no political boundaries",
stated Palazzi.
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San Francisco River
Basin Committee creates agency to charge
for water use
13/05/2010 - The San
Francisco River Basin Committee discusses
today (May 13, 2010), in Maceió (AL),
the creation of an agency whose function
is to manage the collection of water use
in the basin. The issue will be addressed
during the VIII Plenary Session of the Committee,
today, and during the next meeting of the
National Water Resources Council, scheduled
for June 10. With this new entity, it will
be possible, for example, to establish accords
and agreements and start charging for the
use of water in the San Francisco River.
According to the Secretary
for Water Resources and Urban Environment
at the Ministry of the Environment, Silvano
Silvério, the proceeds generated
by charging for water use will ensure the
management of the waters of the San Francisco
River and its revitalization. He explains
that the values will differ for the collection,
use and discharge of organic load in the
water.
About R$ 20 million
is expected to be collected per year. The
funds will be fully applied to the recovery
of the basin, on initiatives such as decontamination,
reuse, protection and conservation, and
in the use of clean technologies which spare
the water resources.
The charge for the use
of the federal water resources is prescribed
in the National Policy on Water Resources
and also in the National Water Resources
Management System, and has been implemented
in Brazil since 2006, when it was approved
for the rivers of Rio Paraíba do
Sul River Basin. In 2007, it was extended
to the waters of the rivers Piracicaba,
Capivari and Jundiaí.
