Download COP 9 Outcomes More Nouvelle Cuisine than a hearty feast

COP 9 Outcomes More Nouvelle Cuisine than a hearty feast
Fourteen days of soul destroying food have taken their toll. Smoked salmon and cream,
vegetables and cream, beef and cream curry, potatoes and cream, meat substitute and cream.
Or sausages. So far we haven’t been offered sausages and cream, but it seems only a matter
of time. The Maratim Hotel in Bonn will never be renowned for its cuisine.
But it will be remembered for hosting the 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention of
Biological Diversity. More than 5,000 delegates leave, perhaps with their arteries hardened
more than their resolve but you win some, you lose some. Hey, when you get 191 countries
together having a discussion about biodiversity you end up with all sorts of outcomes on the
plate.
Of the hundreds of decisions on the table, here’s just a few morsels for you to dine on.
Marine
 Adoption of criteria selecting areas to establish a representative network of marine
protected areas on the high seas.
 Limiting Ocean Fertilisation to research basis only, small scale, not for commercial
purposes and only in coastal areas so that it is bound by national legislation.
Access and Benefit Sharing
 Adoption of a road map ‘the Bonn Mandate’ to develop a framework for Access and
Benefit Sharing by COP 2010 (but left open potential for mixture of legally and non
legally binding outcome)
Ecosystem Approach
 Renewed commitment to and strengthening of to the Ecosystem Approach and note of
WWF’s Mountain’s to Sea Initiative as a good example of implementing Ecosystem
Approach.
Implementation of the Strategic Plan
 Adoption of WWF language to identify the main threats to biodiversity including direct
and indirect drivers of biodiversity change and include actions for addressing the
identified threats in biodiversity strategies and action plans.
Climate
 Adoption of a Climate and Biodiversity document which outlined a significant series of
activities to further integrate climate change consideration into the convention,.
 Notably, after extended debate, the document included text that addressed both the
positive and negative impacts of both adaptation and mitigation activities on biodiversity.
Several governments had strongly opposed the use of the term mitigation in this context.
The text ‘adaptation and mitigation activities’ was henceforth inserted throughout the
document and in several other decisions referring to climate change (forests, dry and subhumid lands, island biodiversity)
 Creation of an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group to examine impacts of climate change on
biodiversity.
Forests
 The forest text is weak and in some aspects a backward step from previous international
commitments.
 Watered down reference to illegal logging which doesn’t mention the word ‘illegal’ just
‘violation of national legislation’.
 No mention of FLEGT process or other regional processes.
 It is full of promotion of sustainable forest management and afforestation but does not
address deforestation (although 65 countries followed the WWF petition to stop
deforestation by signing a postcard addressed to Jim Leape) appropriately nor the
protection of primary or intact forest systems at all.
 Greater prioritisation of bushmeat text in the forest outcome, including the need for
increased enforcement.
 Authorises release of GMOs after completion of studies after containment and studies in
accordance with national processes. The right of countries to ban GM trees is recognised.
 Future enhanced co/operation between CBD and UNFF with a priority to regional
capacity building. WWF involvement to be discussed.
 Forest text contains reference to examine possible positive and negative impacts of
climate adaptation and mitigation on forests.
Finance
 It was decided to develop measurable financial targets and indicators to substantially
enhance funding flows to biodiversity.
 The executive secretary has been asked to compile regional experiences on innovative
financing and to recommend policy options to COP 10.
Biofuels
 Compromise text reached after significant debate and discussions (lasting till nearly 3am
on last night.) Text was relatively weak, having lost all reference to mandatory standards,
and now referring purely to ‘guidelines’.
 The document now ‘promotes the sustainable production and use of biofuels’.
 Policy frameworks were recommended taking into account sustainability, social and
environmental issues.
 Regional Groups will be convened by the CBD Secretariat on sustainable production and
use of biofuels, to promote the positive and minimize the negative impacts of the
production and use of biofuels on biodiversity.
 At the last minute, after compromise was reached, the middle eastern countries expressed
severe criticism for the text which ‘promoted the sustainable production and use of
biofuels’ stating severe concerns with biofuel use due to the potential impacts on food
security etc. (and claiming that they weren’t opposing biofuels to protect their oil
interests!) However after a closed session with Brazil and middle-eastern states a
compromise was reached and the paper went through.
Inland Water
 Reference to 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigable Uses of International
Watercourses Water was removed mainly due to opposition from Turkey. WWF was
lobbying to maintain its inclusions as it fully supports the convention and is pushing
countries to ratify.
Cooperation with other conventions
 The Biodiversity Liason Group, which is the forum for collaboration and synergy
between the five biodiversity related conventions (CBD, CITES, CMS, UNESCO,
RAMSAR), was strengthened. This is important as enhanced cooperation between these
groups is critical to increase synergy and avoid duplication of effort.
 Relating to climate change, an invitation for the scientific and technical bodies of CBD,
UNFCCC and CCD to enhance mutual collaboration was included, as well as text that
invited the scientific bodies of all the conventions in the Biodiversity Liason Group to
address cross-cutting issues such as climate change, and to inform the Joint Liason Group
(CBD, UNFCCC and CCD) of this and invite them to participate in relevant discussions.
Dry and Sub-Humid Lands

WWF successfully orchestrated the insertion of text into Dry and Sub-Humid Lands
decision which urges parties to recognise that wildlife-based land use is a useful lowimpact mechanism to deliver sustainable livelihoods for indigenous and local
communities.

The text also notes that wildlife-based land use has a comparative advantage over other
land-uses due to the natural adaptation of native species to local environmental conditions,
and that wildlife-based land used may be more resilient to the predicted impacts of climate
change than other land use options. This text will be extremely useful to support WWF
programmes that have successfully developed wildlife-based land use in dry and subhumid lands (such as Namibia and Zimbabwee) as it has formalised the comparative
benefits of this form of land-use as compared to agriculture.
Protected Areas
 It was agreed that a series of regional workshops would review implementation of the
programme of work for 2010 which will allow WWF to work to improve implementation
 Strong language urging finalisation of gap analysis to meet 2010 protected area targets by
2009 was secured.
 Removal of the language relating to the role of protected areas in adaptation and
mitigation strategies.
Events
Dinaric Arc
On Thursday 29 May, the Mava−funded Protected Areas for a Living Planet programme held
a high level dinner with the Ministers of the six countries of the Dinaric Arc Ecoreigon
(Albania, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia). The ministers
signed a commitment to implement a regional network of protected areas. Bosnia
announced the creation of a new protected area covering 34,000ha. The event
included Dinaric Arc Initiative (DAI) partners as well as the MAVA Foundation who
called on other donors present to support the implementation of the regional network.
UNDP also asked WWF to prepare USD 3million worth of GEF proposals for
Albania, Serbia and Croatia. The signing ceremony was described as –historic- and
created a unique atmosphere for collaboration between government and partners.
World in the Balance
On Friday a WWF Germany stunt outside the Ministerial meeting with an inflatable globe on
a wooden balance demonstrated that COP negotiations needed to advance in order for the
earth to get back into a healthy balance between nature and development. The stunt was well
attended by German journalists including the main national TV channels.