Biodiversity Cooperation

1
Biodiversity Cooperation
2
CITES

• CITES (1973) Convention on International Trade
  in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora
• Regulates trade in living species and products
  derived from them
• Annex I threatened with extinction both export
  and import permits are required
• Annex II not yet but may become threatened with
  extinction unless trade is regulated monitoring
  and export permits
• Annex III exporting country can list species as
  requiring export permits

3
Trade in Elephant Products?

• Banned in 1990 under Annex I
• Should ban be partially lifted for South Africa,
  Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe? On Annex II since
  1997-99, but no trade
• Yes capable of sustainable management
  opportunity and actual cost of trade restrictions
• No will be back to pre-1990 practices in states
  with weak management intrinsic value of wildlife
  
• Is it just to punish sustainable states for the
  failures of weak states?

4
The Convention on Biological Diversity The Great
North-South Divide (Rio 1992)

• South
• Oppose free access to biological resources
• Application of IPR to technologies based on local
  resources
• Tech transfer
• Additional financial resources for biodiversity
  conservation
• Bio-safety

• North
• BD global resource
• IPR fundamental
• Control over financial/technology transfers
• Not too much money too fast
• Bio-safety not a strictly biodiversity issue

5
Provisions

• Sovereign right over biodiversity resources
• Genetic resources granted according to mutually
  agreed terms
• IPR are supportive and dont run counter to the
  conventions objective
• Identification, monitoring, and scientific
  assessment
• National plans and programs
• Integration of biodiversity consideration in
  other policies
• Weak monitoring and compliance system
• In force 1993, about 188 parties.

6
Global Environmental Facility (GEF)

• Main financing mechanism established first on
  an experimental basis
• Cover incremental costs
• For climate projects additionality principle
• For biodiversity recipient commitment?

7
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

• Institutions Represented on MA Board
• Consultative Group on International Agricultural
  Research (CGIAR)
• Convention for the Conservation of Migratory
  Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
  Nations (FAO)
• Global Environment Facility (GEF)
• International Council for Science (ICSU)
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
  (UNFCCC)
• United Nations Foundation
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• World Bank
• World Conservation Union (IUCN)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

8
Cartagena Protocol on BiosafetyNegotiations

• Miami group US, Canada, Argentina, Australia,
  Chile, Uruguay
• Minimal regulation (cover only LMOs for
  deliberate release)
• Against precautionary principle/trade
  restrictions
• Like minded group Developing countries (without
  Argentina, Chile, Uruguay)
• All LMO should be regulated
• Advance Informed Agreement (AIA), or AIA-type
  rules for all LMOs
• EU
• Right to restrict LMP imports under the
  precautionary principle (in conditions of
  scientific certainty)
• Compromise group Japan, Mexico, Norway, South
  Korea, Switzerland, East Europeans, Singapore,
  New Zeeland

9
Biosefety Protocol

• Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) for LMOs for
  deliberate release into the environment (e.g.
  seeds, etc.).
• No AIA for GM products GM tomatoes or ketchup
  made of GM tomatoes
• Biosafety Clearing House for LMO domestic
  approvals, which importing countries can choose
  to consult
• Shipment documentation stating presence of LMOs
  for commodities
• Broadly endorsees pre-cautionary principle
• lack of scientific certainty ..shall not
  prevent the Party from taking a decision, as
  appropriate, with regard to the import of the
  living modified organisms.(art. 10.6 and 11.8)