Biodiversity A Global Outlook

11. Conclusion: What actions are needed?

• 11.1 What actions are needed from the members of the Convention?
• 11.2 What actions are needed from the International Community?
• 11.3 What actions are needed from individuals and other stakeholders?

Biodiversity is continuing to be lost, and these losses may undermine achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. While much progress has been made towards developing policy and tools for implementing the Convention, national-level implementation to date has been limited. Urgent and unprecedented actions are required to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity Target at the global, regional and national levels. More...

11.1 What actions are needed from the members of the Convention?

As those responsible for meeting the 2010 target, all Parties to the Convention should:

• develop and implement comprehensive national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) that include clear national targets for 2010;
• ensure that their NBSAPs are implemented, and do not merely remain as good ideas on paper, through appropriate policy, legislative measures, and practical activities;
• translate biodiversity-related concerns beyond the environment sector, integrating them into national policies, programmes and strategies on trade, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and development planning;
• ensure that sufficient human, financial, technical and technological resources are available for implementation of their NBSAPs; and
• promote greater awareness of the importance of biodiversity, and of national actions taken under the Convention for its conservation and sustainable and equitable use.

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11.2 What actions are needed from the International Community?

The Convention on Biological Diversity offers an opportunity for the international community to agree upon an agenda and necessary actions for addressing threats to biodiversity.

Decisions taken at the Convention level should be informed by the best available knowledge and experience surrounding biodiversity issues, and contribute to setting standards for action at the national level.

The Conference of the Parties must continue its important work of reviewing progress in implementation of the Convention and of considering actions necessary for achieving the Convention’s objectives. Some key issues of policy, such as the completion of a regime on access and benefit-sharing, still have to be resolved and will require agreement and concerted action by the international community.

Meeting the objectives of the Convention requires concerted action from all nations of the world. To this end, the international community should aim to achieve universal membership to the Convention as no country can afford to adopt an observer status on matters as critical as sustaining life on Earth. More...

11.3 What actions are needed from individuals and other stakeholders?

Individuals have an essential part to play in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

As citizens and actors in our own right, we can demand action from all levels of government and strive to hold them accountable to their commitments.

We can also combine our efforts to greater effect by becoming involved in community groups, non-governmental organizations, or other civil society organizations, through donations of our time, expertise and/or money.

Moreover, in our everyday choices, we all have direct impacts on biodiversity and the state of our planet’s ecosystems. What we eat, wear and buy, where we live, work and travel, are not neutral choices. Options for sustainable consumption are available and increasing (e.g., organic foods, cleaner technology), and many of us have the additional possibility of reducing waste in our daily consumption of resources.

Corporations should also assume responsibility for the environmental impacts of their activities, including by choosing to buy from suppliers that adopt sustainable practices. The Convention is increasing efforts to engage the private sector in biodiversity issues through the “Business and the 2010 Biodiversity Challenge” initiative. More...