Within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) is envisioned to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation among Parties, other Governments and stakeholders; develop a global mechanism for exchanging and integrating information on biodiversity; and develop the necessary human and technological network.  Signatories to the Convention are to comply with this provision and should establish their national CHMs. Likewise, relevant partners are encouraged to contribute to the establishment of regional, sub-regional or thematic clearing-house mechanisms, with a view to provide support to national clearing-house mechanisms, to share knowledge and to facilitate cooperation on science and innovation as well as the transfer of technology.

Read more ...

The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report noted that marine ecosystems including the open oceans, coastal seas, and estuaries provide a multitude of services including provision of food, water, building materials, and medicine. Fisheries and associated industries reliant on healthy marine areas provide employment to millions of people.  The marine ecosystems also regulate climate and natural hazard. While valuable provisioning and regulating services are being provided by the marine areas, they are rapidly being degraded worldwide. To restore and sustain the productivity, biodiversity and ecological services of the marine environment, effective conservation tools are needed. Following the broad ecosystem approach to resource conservation and management, the establishment of marine protected areas is considered a key tool that can be used primarily to protect ecological structures and function; establish control sites for scientific research studies; conserve habitat; and protect vulnerable plant or animal species in the marine environment.

Read more ...

Protected Areas (PAs), such as national parks and nature reserves serve as refuges for species and ecological processes that cannot survive in intensely managed or altered landscapes.  The 7th Conference of Parties (CoP7) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) drew up a the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) in 2004, which aims to improve the coverage, representativeness, and management of protected areas nationally, regionally and globally. The CBD proposed that governments carry out a gap analysis to find out if and where a country’s current PA system falls short of protecting all biodiversity. The CBD emphasizes that the aim is not simply to increase the number of PAs but that these, as far as possible, should be designed and located in the best places to conserve biodiversity and that they should be determined by a multi-stakeholder process. An early stage in identifying new PAs is carrying out a gap analysis of biodiversity and existing protected areas to identify what should be included in the protected area network.

Read more ...