IF THE terms of the implementation of the biodiversity convention are to be decided by more than a handful of influential governments, the participation of non-government organisations (NGOs) is vital. But barely a dozen NGOs have attended the biodiversity negotiations.

It has been suggested that the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Nairobi, which sponsored a meeting on the issue last January, could post an NGO liaison officer in the secretariat of the September meeting of convention signatories. Such an officer could help circulate information about the politics of the debates, but cannot replace serious NGO networking.

NGOs are also watching closely a proposal for the establishment of a global forum on biodiversity, to include government representatives, scientific institutions, NGOs and perhaps local communities and indigenous peoples. The forum was proposed by the Washington-based World Resources Institute and the World Conservation Union, and some NGOs fear it might turn out to be a replacement for direct NGO participation in the convention process.