The Convention on Biological Diversity CBD:

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The CBD and coral reefs

• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
By Marjo Vierros Programme Officer, Marine and
Coastal Biological Diversity
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CBD History and Operational Structure

• Established in Rio 1992, UNCED Earth Summit
• 187 Parties largest environment Convention
• Secretariat in Montreal
• CBD refined and regulated by Conference of the
  Parties (COP) through decisions
• COP informed by Subsidiary Body on Scientific,
  Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA)

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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CBD Objectives

• Three main objectives
• conservation
• sustainable use
• fair and equitable sharing of benefits from
  utilization of genetic resources

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Main themes of CBD work

• Marine and coastal biological diversity
• Inland water Ecosystems
• Agricultural biological diversity
• Forest biological diversity
• Dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity
• Mountain biological diversity

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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The Jakarta Mandate

• 2nd meeting of the Conference of the Parties
  (November 1995) included a Ministerial segment
• In their Statement, the ministers referred to the
  new global consensus on marine and coastal
  biological diversity as the Jakarta Mandate on
  Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity
• The Ministers Statement reaffirmed the global
  consensus that there is a critical need for the
  Conference of the Parties to address the
  conservation and sustainable use of marine and
  coastal biological diversity, and urge Parties to
  initiate immediate action to implement the
  decision adopted on this issue.

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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The Jakarta Mandate

• Decision IV/5 - Conservation and Sustainable Use
  of Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity (May
  1998)
• Based on work and recommendation of experts
• Enabled Programme of Work
• Six programme elements, including five thematic
  issues

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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The Jakarta Mandate

• Programme of work in marine and coastal
  biological diversity
• Programme Element 1 - Integrated Marine and
  Coastal Area Management (IMCAM)
• Programme Element 2 - Marine and Coastal Living
  Resources (including coral reefs decision V/3)
• Programme Element 3 - Marine and Coastal
  Protected Areas (MCPAs)
• Programme Element 4 Mariculture
• Programme Element 5 Alien Species and Genotypes
• Programme Element 6 General (database on
  initiatives/experts)

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Marine and coastal living resources

• Operational objectives
• 2.1. Promoting ecosystem approaches to the
  sustainable use of marine and coastal living
  resources
• 2.2. Making available to Parties information on
  marine and coastal genetic resources, including
  bioprospecting
• 2.3 Coral reefs integrated (decision VI/3).
  Concerns two areas
• Coral bleaching
• Physical degradation and destruction of coral
  reefs

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Coral reef work programme

• Decision VI/3 of COP
• Requests the Executive Secretary to continue
  facilitating the implementation of the specific
  work plan on coral bleaching...and the work plan
  on physical degradation and destruction of coral
  reefs... setting priorities as appropriate, with
  special emphasis on small island developing
  States and the least developed States, in
  collaboration with the International Coral Reef
  Initiative and its partners, the regional seas
  programmes of the United Nations Environment
  Programme, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
  Commission of the United Nations Educational.
  Scientific and Cultural Organization, and other
  relevant organizations

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Coral reef work programme

• SBSTTA also endorsed the following new
  operational objective
• "Operational objective 2.3. To gather and
  assimilate information on, build capacity to
  mitigate the effects of, and to promote policy
  development and implementation strategies to
  address (i) the biological and socio-economic
  consequences of physical degradation and
  destruction of tropical and cold-water coral-reef
  ecosystems, including identification and
  promotion of management practices, methodologies
  and policies to reduce and mitigate impacts upon
  marine and coastal biological diversity and to
  restore and rehabilitate damaged coral reef and
  in particular (ii) the impacts of coral bleaching
  and related mortality on coral-reef ecosystems
  and the human communities which depend upon
  coral-reef services, including through financial
  and technical assistance."

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Coral reef work programme

• I. Elements of a work plan on physical
  degradation destruction of coral reefs
• Activities
• (a) Assessments and indicators
• (b) Management.
• (c) Capacity-building
• (d) Financing
• (e) Education and public awareness
• Needs to be elaborated

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Coral reef work programme

• II. Specific work plan on coral bleaching
• Activities
• 1. Information gathering
• 2. Capacity-building
• 3. Policy development / implementation
• 4. Financing
• Plan elaborates on both ongoing initiatives and
  specific tasks in addition to ongoing initiatives
• Needs to be prioritized

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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ICRI and CBD

• The CBD Secretariat looks forward to closer
  collaboration with ICRI in the implementation of
  the coral reef work programme.
• In particular, ICRI might assist with the
  following
• 1) Elaboration of the work plan on physical
  degradation and destruction of coral reefs
• 2) Prioritization of the work plan on coral
  bleaching
• 3) Identification of additional on-going
  activities in each of these categories

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8 results

• SBSTTA 8 considered 3 marine and coastal related
  issues
• 1) Review of the implementation of the programme
  of work and suggestions for its future
  elaboration
• 2) Marine and coastal protected areas
• 3) Mariculture
• 4) Genetic resources in the deep seabed in areas
  outside of national jurisdiction (CBD UNCLOS
  joint study)

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8

• Some ICRI-relevant results
• On the programme of work
• Incorporation of more specific activities
  relating to MCPAs, mariculture, and
  bioprospecting
• Integration of WSSD results
• Incorporation of enabling activities
• Incorporation of targets
• New expert group on implementation of IMCAM
• Goal Significant reduction in current rate of
  marine and coastal biodiversity loss by 2010

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8

• Some ICRI-relevant results
• Marine and coastal protected areas
• Global goal to establish and maintain of marine
  and coastal protected areas that are effectively
  managed, ecologically based and contribute to a
  permanent representative global network of marine
  and coastal protected areas (by 2012)
• A range of MCPAs, including representative areas
  where extractive uses are excluded and other
  significant human pressures are removed or
  minimized, are part of this network
• The network should extend into the high seas
• A number of research and monitoring priorities,
  including possible pilot projects were identified

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8

• Some ICRI-relevant results
• Mariculture
• Identify and urge Parties to adopt methods and
  techniques to avoid adverse effects of
  mariculture on marine and coastal biodiversity
• Identify research priorities

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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SBSTTA 8

• Some ICRI-relevant results
• Genetic resources in the deep seabed (outside of
  national jurisdiction)
• Organization to compile and synthesize
  information on the status and trends of deep sea
  bed genetic resources and on methods to identify,
  assess and monitor genetic resources of the deep
  seabed in areas beyond the limits of national
  jurisdiction, including identification of threats
  to such genetic resources and the means for their
  protection (Applies to deep water coral reefs)

• The CBD
• Marine and coastal
• biodiversity
• Coral reef work programme
• SBSTTA 8

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Thank you!

• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
By Marjo Vierros Programme Officer, Marine and
Coastal Biological Diversity