Ecosystem restoration and relationship between biodiversity and climate change to be discussed

The difficult task of mobilising financial resources for achieving biodiversity targets expeditiously became the running theme at the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), represented by over 170 countries, which began here on Monday. Union Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, who assumed charge as president of COP-11 for the next two years, set the tone for the meeting and said resource mobilisation was the most important unfinished agenda that was inherited from COP-10.

The Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the global Biodiversity Convention (CBD) starting here Monday would make the name of its host city a part of yet another call for restoration of natural ecosystem.

Sarath Gidda of CBD secretariat on Saturday said several international organisations are coming together on October 17 to make a ‘Hyderabad Call’, an international appeal asking for concerted efforts to restore the ecosystem worldwide.

It was under pressure to complete the ratification process.

Countries that wait to ratify international protocols relating to bio-safety are keen to understand the complexity involved and take an informed decision.

The Cabinet has given the green signal of the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) arising from the fair and equitable utilisation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

The protocol will also contribute to the twin objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity relating to the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources especially since India accounts for 7-8 per cent of the recorded species of the world.

Only 5 countries have ratified Nagoya Protocol on biodiversity so far

The eleventh Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held here next month is likely to lay emphasis on resource mobilisation for execution of the 10-year ‘Strategic Plan’ adopted at the tenth summit held in Nagoya of Japan in October 2010 CBD is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity. With 193 Parties, the convention has near universal participation among countries.

HYDERABAD, 3 OCT: The ongoing UN convention on bio-safety is expected to take decisions to ensure the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs).

Guwahati, Oct.