A:21 CONSERVATION BIODIVERSITY
Distr.
GENERAL
A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. II)
13 August 1992
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
(Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992)
Chapter 15
CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
INTRODUCTION
15.1. The objectives and activities in this chapter of Agenda 21 are
intended to improve the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources, as well as to support the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
15.2. Our planet's essential goods and services depend on the variety and
variability of genes, species, populations and ecosystems. Biological
resources feed and clothe us and provide housing, medicines and spiritual
nourishment. The natural ecosystems of forests, savannahs, pastures and
rangelands, deserts, tundras, rivers, lakes and seas contain most of the
Earth's biodiversity. Farmers' fields and gardens are also of great
importance as repositories, while gene banks, botanical gardens, zoos and
other germplasm repositories make a small but significant contribution.
The current decline in biodiversity is largely the result of human activity
and represents a serious threat to human development.
PROGRAMME AREA
Conservation of biological diversity
Basis for action
15.3. Despite mounting efforts over the past 20 years, the loss of the
world's biological diversity, mainly from habitat destruction,
over-harvesting, pollution and the inappropriate introduction of foreign
plants and animals, has continued. Biological resources constitute a
capital asset with great potential for yielding sustainable benefits.
Urgent and decisive action is needed to conserve and maintain genes,
species and ecosystems, with a view to the sustainable management and use
of biological resources. Capacities for the assessment, study and
systematic observation and evaluation of biodiversity need to be reinforced
at national and international levels. Effective national action and
international cooperation is required for the in situ protection of
ecosystems, for the ex situ conservation of biological and genetic
resources and for the enhancement of ecosystem functions. The
participation and support of local communities are elements essential to
the success of such an approach. Recent advances in biotechnology have
pointed up the likely potential for agriculture, health and welfare and for
the environmental purposes of the genetic material contained in plants,
animals and micro-organisms. At the same time, it is particularly
important in this context to stress that States have the sovereign right to
exploit their own biological resources pursuant to their environmental
policies, as well as the responsibility to conserve their biodiversity and
use their biological resources sustainably, and to ensure that activities
within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the biological
diversity of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national
jurisdiction.
Objectives
15.4. Governments at the appropriate level, with the cooperation of the
relevant United Nations bodies and regional, intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, the private sector and financial
institutions, and taking into consideration indigenous people and their
communities, as well as social and economic factors, should:
(a) Press for the early entry into force of the Convention on
Biological Diversity, with the widest possible participation;
(b) Develop national strategies for the conservation of biological
diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources;
(c) Integrate strategies for the conservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable use of biological resources into national development
strategies and/or plans;
(d) Take appropriate measures for the fair and equitable sharing of
benefits derived from research and development and use of biological and
genetic resources, including biotechnology, between the sources of those
resources and those who use them;
(e) Carry out country studies, as appropriate, on the conservation of
biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources,
including analyses of relevant costs and benefits, with particular
reference to socio-economic aspects;
(f) Produce regularly updated world reports on biodiversity based upon
national assessments;
(g) Recognize and foster the traditional methods and the knowledge of
indigenous people and their communities, emphasizing the particular role of
women, relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources, and ensure the opportunity for the
participation of those groups in the economic and commercial benefits
derived from the use of such traditional methods and knowledge; 1/
(h) Implement mechanisms for the improvement, generation, development
and sustainable use of biotechnology and its safe transfer, particularly to
developing countries, taking account the potential contribution of
biotechnology to the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources; 2/
(i) Promote broader international and regional cooperation in
furthering scientific and economic understanding of the importance of
biodiversity and its functions in ecosystems;
(j) Develop measures and arrangements to implement the rights of
countries of origin of genetic resources or countries providing genetic
resources, as defined in the Convention on Biological Diversity,
particularly developing countries, to benefit from the biotechnological
development and the commercial utilization of products derived from such
resources. 2/ 3/
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
15.5. Governments at the appropriate levels, consistent with national
policies and practices, with the cooperation of the relevant United Nations
bodies and, as appropriate, intergovernmental organizations and, with the
support of indigenous people and their communities, non-governmental
organizations and other groups, including the business and scientific
communities, and consistent with the requirements of international law,
should, as appropriate:
(a) Develop new or strengthen existing strategies, plans or programmes
of action for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable
use of biological resources, taking account of education and training
needs; 4/
(b) Integrate strategies for the conservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable use of biological and genetic resources into relevant
sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies, with particular
reference to the special importance of terrestrial and aquatic biological
and genetic resources for food and agriculture; 5/
(c) Undertake country studies or use other methods to identify
components of biological diversity important for its conservation and for
the sustainable use of biological resources, ascribe values to biological
and genetic resources, identify processes and activities with significant
impacts upon biological diversity, evaluate the potential economic
implications of the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological and genetic resources, and suggest priority
action;
(d) Take effective economic, social and other appropriate incentive
measures to encourage the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources, including the promotion of
sustainable production systems, such as traditional methods of agriculture,
agroforestry, forestry, range and wildlife management, which use, maintain
or increase biodiversity; 5/
(e) Subject to national legislation, take action to respect, record,
protect and promote the wider application of the knowledge, innovations and
practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional
lifestyles for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable
use of biological resources, with a view to the fair and equitable sharing
of the benefits arising, and promote mechanisms to involve those
communities, including women, in the conservation and management of
ecosystems; 1/
(f) Undertake long-term research into the importance of biodiversity
for the functioning of ecosystems and the role of ecosystems in producing
goods, environmental services and other values supporting sustainable
development, with particular reference to the biology and reproductive
capacities of key terrestrial and aquatic species, including native,
cultivated and cultured species; new observation and inventory techniques;
ecological conditions necessary for biodiversity conservation and continued
evolution; and social behaviour and nutrition habits dependent on natural
ecosystems, where women play key roles. The work should be undertaken with
the widest possible participation, especially of indigenous people and
their communities, including women; 1/
(g) Take action where necessary for the conservation of biological
diversity through the in situ conservation of ecosystems and natural
habitats, as well as primitive cultivars and their wild relatives, and the
maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural
surroundings, and implement ex situ measures, preferably in the source
country. In situ measures should include the reinforcement of terrestrial,
marine and aquatic protected area systems and embrace, inter alia,
vulnerable freshwater and other wetlands and coastal ecosystems, such as
estuaries, coral reefs and mangroves; 6/
(h) Promote the rehabilitation and restoration of damaged ecosystems
and the recovery of threatened and endangered species;
(i) Develop policies to encourage the conservation of biodiversity and
the sustainable use of biological and genetic resources on private lands;
(j) Promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in areas
adjacent to protected areas with a view to furthering protection of these
areas;
(k) Introduce appropriate environmental impact assessment procedures
for proposed projects likely to have significant impacts upon biological
diversity, providing for suitable information to be made widely available
and for public participation, where appropriate, and encourage the
assessment of the impacts of relevant policies and programmes on biological
diversity;
(l) Promote, where appropriate, the establishment and strengthening of
national inventory, regulation or management and control systems related to
biological resources, at the appropriate level;
(m) Take measures to encourage a greater understanding and
appreciation of the value of biological diversity, as manifested both in
its component parts and in the ecosystem services provided.
(b) Data and information
15.6. Governments at the appropriate level, consistent with national
policies and practices, with the cooperation of the relevant United Nations
bodies and, as appropriate, intergovernmental organizations, and with the
support of indigenous people and their communities, non-governmental
organizations and other groups, including the business and scientific
communities, and consistent with the requirements of international law,
should, as appropriate: 7/
(a) Regularly collate, evaluate and exchange information on the
conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological
resources;
(b) Develop methodologies with a view to undertaking systematic
sampling and evaluation on a national basis of the components of biological
diversity identified by means of country studies;
(c) Initiate or further develop methodologies and begin or continue
work on surveys at the appropriate level on the status of ecosystems and
establish baseline information on biological and genetic resources,
including those in terrestrial, aquatic, coastal and marine ecosystems, as
well as inventories undertaken with the participation of local and
indigenous people and their communities;
(d) Identify and evaluate the potential economic and social
implications and benefits of the conservation and sustainable use of
terrestrial and aquatic species in each country, building upon the results
of country studies;
(e) Undertake the updating, analysis and interpretation of data
derived from the identification, sampling and evaluation activities
described above;
(f) Collect, assess and make available relevant and reliable
information in a timely manner and in a form suitable for decision-making
at all levels, with the full support and participation of local and
indigenous people and their communities.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
15.7. Governments at the appropriate level, with the cooperation of the
relevant United Nations bodies and, as appropriate, intergovernmental
organizations, and, with the support of indigenous people and their
communities, non-governmental organizations and other groups, including the
business and scientific communities, and consistent with the requirements
of international law, should, as appropriate:
(a) Consider the establishment or strengthening of national or
international capabilities and networks for the exchange of data and
information of relevance to the conservation of biological diversity and
the sustainable use of biological and genetic resources; 7/
(b) Produce regularly updated world reports on biodiversity based upon
national assessments in all countries;
(c) Promote technical and scientific cooperation in the field of
conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological
and genetic resources. Special attention should be given to the
development and strengthening of national capabilities by means of human
resource development and institution-building, including the transfer of
technology and/or development of research and management facilities, such
as herbaria, museums, gene banks, and laboratories, related to the
conservation of biodiversity; 8/
(d) Without prejudice to the relevant provisions of the Convention on
Biological Diversity, facilitate for this chapter the transfer of
technologies relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources or technologies that make use of
genetic resources and cause no significant damage to the environment, in
conformity with chapter 34, and recognizing that technology includes
biotechnology; 2/ 8/
(e) Promote cooperation between the parties to relevant international
conventions and action plans with the aim of strengthening and coordinating
efforts to conserve biological diversity and the sustainable use of
biological resources;
(f) Strengthen support for international and regional instruments,
programmes and action plans concerned with the conservation of biological
diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources;
(g) Promote improved international coordination of measures for the
effective conservation and management of endangered/non-pest migratory
species, including appropriate levels of support for the establishment and
management of protected areas in transboundary locations;
(h) Promote national efforts with respect to surveys, data collection,
sampling and evaluation, and the maintenance of gene banks.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
15.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this chapter to be about
$3.5 billion, including about $1.75 billion from the international
community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and
order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and
programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
15.9. Specific aspects to be addressed include the need to develop:
(a) Efficient methodologies for baseline surveys and inventories, as
well as for the systematic sampling and evaluation of biological resources;
(b) Methods and technologies for the conservation of biological
diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources;
(c) Improved and diversified methods for ex situ conservation with a
view to the long-term conservation of genetic resources of importance for
research and development.
(c) Human resource development
15.10. There is a need, where appropriate, to:
(a) Increase the number and/or make more efficient use of trained
personnel in scientific and technological fields relevant to the
conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological
resources;
(b) Maintain or establish programmes for scientific and technical
education and training of managers and professionals, especially in
developing countries, on measures for the identification, conservation of
biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources;
(c) Promote and encourage understanding of the importance of the
measures required for the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources at all policy-making and
decision-making levels in Governments, business enterprises and lending
institutions, and promote and encourage the inclusion of these topics in
educational programmes.
(d) Capacity-building
15.11. There is a need, where appropriate, to:
(a) Strengthen existing institutions and/or establish new ones
responsible for the conservation of biological diversity and to consider
the development of mechanisms such as national biodiversity institutes or
centres;
(b) Continue to build capacity for the conservation of biological
diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources in all relevant
sectors;
(c) Build capacity, especially within Governments, business
enterprises and bilateral and multilateral development agencies, for
integrating biodiversity concerns, potential benefits and opportunity cost
calculations into project design, implementation and evaluation processes,
as well as for evaluating the impact on biological diversity of proposed
development projects;
(d) Enhance the capacity of governmental and private institutions, at
the appropriate level, responsible for protected area planning and
management to undertake intersectoral coordination and planning with other
governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations and, where
appropriate, indigenous people and their communities.
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Notes
1/ See chap. 26 (Recognizing and strengthening the role of indigenous
people and their communities) and chap. 24 (Global action for women towards
sustainable and equitable development).
2/ See chap. 16 (Environmentally sound management of biotechnology).
3/ Article 2 (Use of terms) of the Convention on Biological Diversity
includes the following definitions:
"Country of origin of genetic resources" means the country which
possesses those genetic resources in in-situ conditions.
"Country providing genetic resources" means the country supplying
genetic resources collected from in-situ sources, including populations of
both wild and domesticated species, or taken from ex-situ sources, which
may or may not have originated in that country.
4/ See chap. 36 (Promoting education, public awareness and training).
5/ See chap. 14 (Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural
development) and chap. 11 (Combating deforestation).
6/ See chap. 17 (Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas,
including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal areas and the
protection, rational use and development of their living resources).
7/ See chap. 40 (Information for decision-making).
8/ See chap. 34 (Transfer of environmentally sound technology,
cooperation and capacity-building).
END OF CHAPTER 15
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===================RRojas Research Unit/1996==========================
