Meio Ambiente

Representatives from 193 nations will join from October 18 on the Japanese city of Nagoya the discussions at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP-10), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The authorities will deal with until the October 29th a subject of high environmental and economic interests around the world: the loss of biodiversity.

As leader of megadiverse countries (17 nations that have the highest rate of biodiversity in the world), Brazil will defend the implementation of commitments made between nations to stem the loss of biodiversity and extinction of species. Although no signatory country has managed to achieve the goals proposed by the CBD in 2002, Brazil was the most protected areas created in the last eight years, about 75% of conservation areas throughout the planet, according to the report GBO-3.

The country will try to approve three priority items at COP-10: the creation of an international regime on access and benefit sharing from the use of genetic resources, decisive in the fight against biopiracy; the new overall strategic plan of the CBD for the next ten years - that will set new goals to protect and preserve global biodiversity by 2020; and financial resources for investments in projects related to biodiversity.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA, in Portuguese), it is important to establish common intent, but is useless if no goals are addressed to the implementation of concrete actions. The initiatives are dependent on financial resources directed to actions such as technical training and technology transfer.

On the new overall strategic plan of the CBD in 2020, MMA estimates that the targets should be more specific, and that all sectors involved in the economy of the signatory nations must engage to achieve the goals proposed. Objectives include the sustainable use of biological diversity promotion, the expansion of protected areas, benefit sharing and financial resources necessary to block the growing loss of biodiversity.

According to the Secretary of Biodiversity and Forests of the MMA, Braulio Dias, issues related to biodiversity must extrapolate the role of environmental issues, as the sectors that destroy natural resources are linked to the economy such as agriculture, infrastructure and energy. The secretary supports the engagement and commitment of all economic and social stakeholders, in addition to changing practices to halt the loss of biodiversity.

Benefit-Sharing - The focus of the debate over distribution of benefits will be the payment by developed countries of the royalties generated by the trade in products that use raw materials derived from genetic resources of developing nations.

If the protocol for access and benefit sharing was approved, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agriculture companies, for example, would have more clearly defined obligations to transfer financial resources to people and communities holders of traditional knowledge related to plants and animals.

During the meeting in Japan, the countries members of the COP-10 will discuss other important issues such as global strategy for plant conservation, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the International Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

The working groups set up during the convention will discuss also the biodiversity in protected areas, coastal areas, mountains, sea water, REDD+ (new mechanisms to prevent burning and deforestation) and biofuels, among other topics.

Convention on Biological Diversity - The Convention was opened for signature in 1992, but without defined goals and strategic plan. Thus, the countries have established as a "framework agreement" designed to establish principles. By 2002, nations agreed on the first strategic plan for 2010, which will now be replaced by a new plan targets set for 2020.

Although the Convention was important to negotiate and establish a global agenda and points of consensus, there is a passive implementation of the CBD goals. As proof, the UNEP report - GBO3 indicates that the goals adopted for 2010 were not achieved.

Brazil will defend Japan in the idea that biodiversity is treated beyond the environmental sphere, throughout society, businesses and industries that work with development projects, which may incorporate biodiversity conservation into their policies.

RF