Halt decline in biological diversity

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will be calling for increased international effort to halt the decline in biological diversity when he represents the Commission at the eighth conference of the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in Curitiba, Brazil, from 20 to 31 March. The main issues for discussion include improving implementation of the Convention, creating a global network of protected land and marine areas and agreeing on an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing. Commissioner Dimas will chair a panel on biodiversity and trade.

Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Halting the decline of biodiversity by 2010 will be a formidable task. Strengthening the global framework for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity will be the key to success. The EU is particularly committed to further bolstering the biodiversity convention and making sure it is implemented."

UN Convention on biodiversity

At the 8th Conference of the parties to the UN Convention on biodiversity, the EU expects progress on the crucial issue of developing a global network of protected land and marine areas, modelled on the EU's own network Natura 2000, which at present covers 18% of the territory of the EU-15.

Also high on the agenda will be the negotiations on an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing, i.e. the permission to physically obtain and subsequently to use any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity and 'genetic resources' as genetic material of actual or potential value.