COP 3 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 1996

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Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

 

COP3 the third ordinary meeting of the parties to the convention took place in November 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although a meeting is recorded as having taken place, it appears that nothing was agreed to be recorded on the official website, but several issues were discussed as follows:

 

Passing the baton, Indonesia's Minister of Environment and COP-2 President Sarwono Kusumaatmadja handed over the leadership of the COP2 to COP-3 President Maria Julia Alsogaray, Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources.

UNEP Deputy Executive Director Reuben Olembo and GEF CEO Mohamed El-Ashry were among the speakers encouraging greater cooperation toward implementation of the CBD.

The sunny Argentine afternoon provided a pleasant setting for shirtsleeve informal negotiations by some delegates; in the Committee of the Whole, formal Working Group chairs John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda and Terry Jones of the Seychelles summarized progress in their groups.

Malawi was not satisfied that the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests would sufficiently address biodiversity. Chile emphasized marine biodiversity, clearing-house mechanism, benefits sharing and agro-biodiversity as work programme elements. Wetlands International offered technical assistance toward cooperation with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

Uganda called for a work programme on incentives. Senegal asked for information on the private sector's role in capacity building, and the UK urged capacity building related to biosafety.

Representatives of indigenous peoples in Asia, Africa and the Pacific were among those calling on COP-3 delegates to establish an open-ended working group on indigenous and local communities, to fulfill a pledge from COP-2 to fill a position on the Secretariat Staff on this issue, and to increase indigenous and local communities participation in CBD deliberations and implementation.

Argentina called for support for countries that do not have Internet access. South Africa connected CHM user needs with access to financial resources.

Delegations debated agricultural biodiversity and the Convention's financial mechanism.

While the Committee of the whole debated technology transfer, intellectual property rights.

 

 

SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE

 

The second meeting of the SBSTTA took place in Montreal, Canada, between 2 - 6 September 1996, one month ahead of the Conference of the Parties.

 

 

 

 

PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

 

As of 2016, the Convention on Biological Diversification had 196 parties, which includes 195 states and the European Union. All UN member states - with the exception of the United States - have ratified the treaty.

 

The United Nations is the link between other Conferences of the Parties to include Climate Change and Desertification. It is a bit confusing to have so many different conferences that deal with interconnected issues. In addition, each member state will have their own meetings on the subject to decide what their position will be at the COPs. We wonder then at the size of the carbon footprints so generated in relation to the effectiveness of the decisions - that at the moment do not appear to be working to stabilize our climate, stop deserts from being created, or protect the habitats of our species.

 

CONFERENCES OF THE PARTIES

 

The convention's governing body is the Conference of the Parties (COP), consisting of all governments (and regional economic integration organizations) that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress under the Convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans for members.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) uses expertise and support from several other bodies that are established by the Convention. The main organs are:

 

(a) review of progress in implementation;

(b) strategic actions to enhance implementation;

(c) strengthening means of implementation; and 

(d) operations of the convention and the Protocols.

 

National Reports

Parties prepare national reports on the status of implementation of the Convention. 

 

MARINE & COASTAL BIODIVERSITY

The oceans occupy more than 70% of the Earth’s surface and 95% of the biosphere. Life in the sea is roughly 1000 times older than the genus Homo.

 

There is broad recognition that the seas face unprecedented human-induced threats from industries such as fishing and transportation, the effects of waste disposal, excess nutrients from agricultural runoff, and the introduction of exotic species.

 

If we fail to understand both the vulnerability and resilience of the living sea, the relatively brief history of the human species will face a tragic destiny.

 

What's the Problem?

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the world’s oceans and coasts are highly threatened and subject to rapid environmental change. Major threats to marine and coastal ecosystems include:

* Land-based pollution and euthrophication
* Overfishing, destructive fishing, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
* Alterations of physical habitats
* Invasions of exotic species
* Global climate change

 

CONTACTS

 

Cristiana Pașca Palmer

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
413, Saint Jacques Street, suite 800
Montreal QC H2Y 1N9
Canada


Tel: +1 514 288 2220
Fax: +1 514 288 6588
E-Mail: secretariat@cbd.int
Web: www.cbd.int

 

BIODIVERSITY COP HISTORY

 

COP 1: 1994 Nassau, Bahamas, Nov & Dec

COP 8: 2006 Curitiba, Brazil, 8 Mar

COP 2: 1995 Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov

COP 9: 2008 Bonn, Germany, May

COP 3: 1996 Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov

COP 10: 2010 Nagoya, Japan, Oct

COP 4: 1998 Bratislava, Slovakia, May

COP 11: 2012 Hyderabad, India

EXCOP: 1999 Cartagena, Colombia, Feb

COP 12: 2014 Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, Oct

COP 5: 2000 Nairobi, Kenya, May

COP 13: 2016 Cancun, Mexico, 2 to 17 Dec

COP 6: 2002 The Hague, Netherlands, April

COP 14: 2018 Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 17 to 29 Nov

COP 7: 2004 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb

COP 15: 2020 Kunming, Yunnan, China

 

 

CLIMATE CHANGE UN COP HISTORY

 

1995 COP 1, BERLIN, GERMANY
1996 COP 2, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1997 COP 3, KYOTO, JAPAN
1998 COP 4, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1999 COP 5, BONN, GERMANY
2000:COP 6, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
2001 COP 7, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO
2002 COP 8, NEW DELHI, INDIA
2003 COP 9, MILAN, ITALY
2004 COP 10, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
2005 COP 11/CMP 1, MONTREAL, CANADA
2006 COP 12/CMP 2, NAIROBI, KENYA
2007 COP 13/CMP 3, BALI, INDONESIA

2008 COP 14/CMP 4, POZNAN, POLAND
2009 COP 15/CMP 5, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
2010 COP 16/CMP 6, CANCUN, MEXICO
2011 COP 17/CMP 7, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
2012 COP 18/CMP 8, DOHA, QATAR
2013 COP 19/CMP 9, WARSAW, POLAND
2014 COP 20/CMP 10, LIMA, PERU
2015 COP 21/CMP 11, Paris, France
2016 COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1, Marrakech, Morocco
2017 COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 2, Bonn, Germany
2018 COP 24/CMP 14/CMA 3, Katowice, Poland
2019 COP 25/CMP 15/CMA 4, Santiago, Chile

2020 COP 26/CMP 16/CMA 5, to be announced

 

 

DESERTIFICATION COP HISTORY

 

COP 1: Rome, Italy, 29 Sept to 10 Oct 1997

COP 9: Buenos Aires, Argentina, 21 Sept to 2 Oct 2009

COP 2: Dakar, Senegal, 30 Nov to 11 Dec 1998

COP 10: Changwon, South Korea, 10 to 20 Oct 2011

COP 3: Recife, Brazil, 15 to 26 Nov 1999

COP 11: Windhoek, Namibia, 16 to 27 Sept 2013

COP 4: Bonn, Germany, 11 to 22 Dec 2000

COP 12: Ankara, Turkey, 12 to 23 Oct 2015

COP 5: Geneva, Switzerland, 1 to 12 Oct 2001

COP 13: Ordos City, China, 6 to 16 Sept 2017

COP 6: Havana, Cuba, 25 August to 5 Sept 2003

COP 14: New Delhi, India, 2 to 13 Sept 2019

COP 7: Nairobi, Kenya, 17 to 28 Oct 2005

COP 15:  2020

COP 8: Madrid, Spain, 3 to 14 Sept 2007

COP 16:  2021

 

 

 

 

CONSERVATION RISK - Plastic has accumulated in five ocean hot spots called gyres, see here in this world map derived from information published by 5 Gyres. The plastic is laden with toxins that fish and marine mammals mistake for food and eat - eventually killing them. Marine pollution is thus a major challenge if we are to ensure that species are not wiped out.

 

 

 

 

LINKS & REFERENCE

 

https://www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-01

https://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-1/marine-ecosystem/biodiversity/

https://www.cbd.int/executive-secretary/

https://www.cbd.int/marine/

 

 

Coral reefs at risk from acid oceans

 

 

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GLOBAL WARMING AND PLASTIC WASTE IS HARMING OUR MARINE BIODIVERSITY AND DESERTIFYING OUR LAND