--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This document is copyright of the United Nations. Reproduction and dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------