Download The Convention on Biological The Convention on Biological

The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) and REDD+
Dr Elisa Morgera
University of Edinburgh School of Law
[email protected]
Links between biodiversity and
climate change
• Reciprocal interactions between biodiversity loss and climate
change
climate change is one of the five pressures directly driving
biodiversity loss
Climate change response measure can contribute to
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use
possible negative impacts of climate change response
measures on biodiversity
 challenges
g of biodiversity
y loss and climate change
g must
be addressed with equal priority and in close
coordination, if the most severe impacts of each are to
be avoided
CBD and climate change
• No mention of “climate
climate change”
change in the CBD
text
• Since 2008
2008, climate change has effectively
become a key cross-cutting component in the
work of the CBD
• CBD COP has systematically identified
concrete
t opportunities
t iti to
t inspire
i
i parties’
ti ’
initiatives at the national level, as well as
i t
international
ti
l cooperation
ti
CBD key concepts
•
Biological diversity as the “variability among living organisms”
•
Conservation & sustainable use
– Customary use
– Ecosystems
y
→ Ecosystem
y
approach
pp
•
Benefit-sharing
•
People-centred
– Indigenous peoples and local communities
→ CBD Preamble: Affirming that the conservation of biological diversity
is a common concern of humankind
y
and Biodiversity
y ((TEEB)) study
y
→ The Economics of Ecosystems
http://teebweb.org/
– global economic benefits of biodiversity
– growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation
Relevant CBD provisions
 integrate biodiversity issues into climate change plans,
programmes, and policies;
 undertake environmental impact assessments of adaptation
and mitigation projects that are likely to have significant
adverse effects on biodiversity;
y;
 regulate climate-change-related processes and activities
that have a significant adverse effect on biodiversity;
 avoid or minimize adverse impacts from the use of biological
resources for adaptation or mitigation purposes;
 prevent the introduction of invasive alien species;
 bring about cooperation between national authorities and the
private sector in ensuring
p
g the sustainable use of biodiversity
y
for adaptation or mitigation purposes;
 provide incentives
Relevant CBD provisions (cont’d)
Article 8(j)
• respect and preserve the traditional knowledge and
practices of indigenous and local communities when
implementing mitigation and adaptation measures,
• involving
g those communities in climate-change-related
g
decision-making and
• rewarding them for their intellectual contribution to mitigation
p
measures
and adaptation
Article 22(1) - Relationship with Other International
Conventions
The provisions of this Convention shall not affect the rights and
obligations of any Contracting Party deriving from any existing
international agreement,
g
, except
p where the exercise of those
rights and obligations would cause a serious damage or threat
to biological diversity.
CBD and REDD+ safeguards – why?
• conversion of natural forests to plantations and other land
uses of low biodiversity value and low resilience;
• displacement of deforestation and forest degradation to
areas of lower carbon value and high biodiversity value;
• increased pressure on non-forest ecosystems with high
biodiversity value & afforestation in areas of high biodiversity
value;
• loss of traditional territories and restriction of rights of
indigenous and local communities (ILCs) to access to, use
of and/or ownership of land and natural resources;
• lack of tangible livelihood benefits to ILCs and lack of
equitable benefit-sharing;
• exclusion of ILCs from designing and implementation of
policies and measures, and loss of their traditional
knowledge
Decision XI/19: Biodiversity safeguards
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ecosystem management activities
prioritizing the use of native communities of species;
converting only land of low biodiversity value or ecosystems largely
composed of non-native species, and preferably degraded ecosystems;
avoiding
g invasive alien species;
p
preventing net reduction of carbon stocks in all organic carbon pools;
strategically locating afforestation activities within the landscape to
enhance connectivity and increase the provision of ecosystem services
within forest areas;
conserve soil biodiversity;
strategic environmental assessments and environmental impact
assessments that facilitate the consideration of all available climate
change mitigation and adaptation options;
developing ecosystem and species vulnerability assessments;
incentives that take into consideration biodiversity and related social and
cultural aspect
• Land zoning and land-use planning taking into account the multiple
functions of forests
• national forest inventories providing valuable information relevant to
biodiversity
• applying the ecosystem approach to identify sites of high biodiversity
value so as to prioritize their conservation
• national experience in implementing the following CBD COP
decisions:
– programme of works on forest biodiversity and protected areas
– Guidelines on biodiversity-inclusive impact assessment
– ecosystem approach
– Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of
Biodiversity
– Akwé: Kon Guidelines on cultural, environmental and social
impact assessments
– Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct
Decision XI/19: ILCs’ safeguards
• full and effective participation of ILCs in relevant
policy-making and implementation processes at
national and subnational levels
• considering traditional knowledge
y g tenure issues
• clarifying
• equitable distribution of benefits
• shared responsibility of subnational and local
levels, including ILCs
• Conceptually useful
– “no need to reinvent the wheel” on:
• REDD+ and human rights
• REDD+ and fragmentation of international
environmental law
• Legally
g y “relevant”