New GSPC targets discussed at CBD COP10

This morning (21 October) the proposed new targets for the GSPC for 2010-2020 were discussed by the Parties to the CBD. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of the new GSPC, with 23 countries and the European Union voicing their support for the updated targets.  Amongst those countries that recommended the adoption of the proposed new targets were several of the world’s most biodiverse countries, including China, Mexico and Brazil.  While a number of countries highlighted the need for increased resources to be devoted to plant conservation in order to meet the ambitious 2020 targets, others highlighted the progress they had made to date as a result of adopting the original plant conservation strategy in 2002. We now have to wait for the comments and amendments proposed by countries to be incorporated into the next draft of the document and for this to be finally approved by COP at the end of the meeting. So far things are looking really positive for the GSPC.  During the discussion, BGCI reported on the public support for the GSPC generated through the Plants for the Planet campaign. Thanks to all of you who signed up!

Read the BGCI statement (pdf) to the COP10 meeting.

How much ?!

On Thursday 20 October at COP10,  a two year study by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) was published.

“TEEB has documented not only the multi-trillion dollar importance to the global economy of the natural world, but the kinds of policy-shifts and smart market mechanisms that can embed fresh thinking in a world beset by a rising raft of multiple challenges. The good news is that many communities and countries are already seeing the potential of incorporating the value of nature into decision-making,” said Mr. Sukhdev, a banker who heads up the Green Economy Initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

For further details see the TEEB website, and their associated project The Bank of Natural Capital.

BGCI’s GSPC Target 8 report launched at COP10

Global Partnership for Plant Conservation: side event at COP10, Nagoya Japan

BGCI’s new report of progress towards target 8 of the GSPC was launched at a side event at COP10 yesterday (19 October). The side event, which also included updates on the progress of national implementation of the GSPC in Japan and Mexico, was well attended and generated some interesting discussions on the value of ex situ conservation. While it was recognised that ex situ conservation is important as an insurance policy in times of global change, the need for such collections to be genetically representative and available for use in recovery and restoration programmes was highlighted. Copies of the target 8 report are availble for download from the BGCI website: http://bit.ly/dtMopc.

COP10 meeting opens in Nagoya, Japan

The tenth Conferences of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity opened today, 18 October, with an address from the CBD Executive Secretary which notes: A  proverb of our host country teaches us that “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

See the opening statments http://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2010/sp-2010-10-18-cop10-en.pdf

BGCI had an opinion piece published by the Guardian on its Comment is Free website.

One and a half planets?

According to a new report, the Earth’s population is using one and a half planets’ worth of natural resources, according to the ‘Living Planet Report 2010′ by WWF, see http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?4293/Living-Planet-Report-2010

 

New report arrives at BGCI office

Saving Plants, Saving the Planet

Just received the copies of our new report “Saving plants, saving the planet “- our investigation into progress towards Target 8 of the GSPC. We are looking forward to launching this at the CBD meeting in Nagoya, Japan next week.

Less than a week until Nagoya meeting!

It’s less than a week now until the opening the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan (18 – 29 October 2010)  to agree a new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

There’s still time to sign the Plants for the Planet pledge.