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'Biological diversity' means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.
UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD), Article 2
What is Biodiversity? - Tackling biodiversity loss: a global challenge - Subnational governments: crucial to preserve biodiversity - nrg4SD action on behalf of its members - UN Documents - nrg4SD Technical Papers - Workshops, seminars and other events - What's coming up?
What is Biodiversity?
The natural environment can be seen as a web of life, where a multitude of different organisms (animals, plants and microorganisms) interact. The variability existing in nature among organisms, within and between species as well as ecosystems is synthetized by the expression “biological diversity” (“biodiversity” in short).
About 1.75 million species have been identified so far, but scientists estimate the existence of about 13 million species throughout the world. This variety is essential for life on Earth and for the wellbeing of our societies, which depend on the natural capital of our planet, represented by ecosystem services: these have a key role in delivering important resources for economic and social development as well as in enhancing quality of life and limiting the impact of human activities.
Ecosystems also have an important economic value, since their degradation significantly affects economic growth and development. In this context TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) is an instrumental discipline to sustainable development.
For example, forests offer a wide range of goods (timber, food, fibre, biomass…) extremely useful for our economies and societies, but at the same time they are “carbon sinks” sequestering human-generated carbon emissions and thus tackling climate change.
Biodiversity loss and ecosystems deterioration jeopardise the provision of ecosystem services, and they therefore represent one of the most serious threats to human wellbeing and economic development.
Tackling biodiversity loss: a global challenge
One of the main agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). World leaders and governments committed to preserve the ecological diversity of the Earth and established three main goals to achieve in this domain: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.
This legally binding Convention, which has been signed by 193 Parties so far, recognises biodiversity as a common concern of humankind and an integral part of the development process, stressing the importance of protecting biodiversity for the environmental, economic and social benefits that it offers.
The tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10), held in Nagoya in 2010, led to the adoption of the global Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation (ABS Protocol), and a strategy to mobilise resources for global biodiversity.
In addition, the Conference led to the adoption of the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities on Biodiversity 2011-2020, and launched the process for the establishment of CBD Advisory Committees for both Subnational Governments and Cities and other Local Authorities.
The European Union (EU) has been working on biodiversity matters for many decades: the Birds Directive (1979) was the first piece of legislation adopted by the EU in this field, and it represents the cornerstone of the EU nature conservation policy, together with the Habitats Directive, aiming to protect several sites and species of European importance.
Natura 2000, an EU network of nature protection areas, was established under both Directives and aims to assure the long-term conservation of the European most valuable and threatened species and habitats.
Since 1998, the EU has also adopted Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans in order to reduce the increasing and worrying trends of biodiversity loss.
In 2010 the Environment Council established a biodiversity long-term vision and headline target for the EU; according to the first one, “by 2050, European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides — its natural capital — are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity's intrinsic value and for their essential contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of biodiversity are avoided, while the second one aims “to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, restore them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss”.
Following this agreement and the commitments made at UN CBD COP 10 in Nagoya, the European Commission has recently adopted the ‘EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020’, which consists of six targets to meet and twenty actions to implement.
The main goals of the strategy are: full implementation of EU nature legislation to protect biodiversity; better protection for ecosystems, and more use of green infrastructure; more sustainable agriculture and forestry; better management of fish stocks; tighter controls on invasive alien species, a bigger EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.
The EU has also launched and sponsored, together with other key players, the major international initiative on TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity), highlighting the economic value of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.
TEEB recommendations on including the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystems in the decision-making process as well as accounting and reporting systems were incorporated in the current international biodiversity strategy adopted in Nagoya.
Subnational governments: crucial to preserve biodiversity
At least 50% of the world’s population is living in cities. By 2030, that number will rise to 60%, with almost 2 billion new city residents.
According to a study by The Nature Conservancy and Harvard University (2008), at the current pace of urbanisation, natural resources and ecosystems might be severely damaged by 2030.
Rapid urban development is likely to affect natural areas rich in biodiversity, the loss of which would make ecosystems less resilient and humans more vulnerable to climate change.
Subnational governments have a crucial role in biodiversity goals by:
Subnational governments are well placed to reduce pollution, ecosystem services over-exploitation, habitat loss, fragmentation and invasive alien species, as well as to implement wider adaptation, conservation and sustainable use practices, including the strengthening of protected area networks.
With its Decision IX/28 on a Plan on Action on Cities, Local Authorities and Subnational Governments, the UN CBD opens the door for a collaboration between different levels of government in implementing biodiversity policies, encourages Parties to recognise the role of subnational governments in national strategies and plans, and invites them to support and assist subnational governments in the implementation phase.
The CBD Strategic Plan 2011-2020, adopted at UN CBD COP 10 in Nagoya, establishes that by 2020 the values of biodiversity should be integrated by all countries into subnational development and planning strategies. Furthermore, it encourages the participation of subnational governments to the preparation and implementation processes of National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans (NBSAPs), and it supports the adoption of biodiversity strategies and action plans at subnational level.
nrg4SD is identified in Plan of Action as a key partner for the establishment of the Advisory Committee of Subnational governments for Biodiversity "in recognition of the critical complementary and distinct role in the implementation of the Convention."
nrg4SD action on behalf of its members
Accredited to the UN CBD, nrg4SD worked closely with the Secretariat of the Convention in the run up to COP 10 in Nagoya towards the elaboration of the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Local Authorities. During its participation in COP 10 in Nagoya, nrg4SD highlighted the key role of subnational governments in biodiversity preservation and was honoured to be given a prominent role in the historic Decision X/22 adopting the Plan of Action.
nrg4SD takes part in the Global Partnership for Biodiversity and, following from Decision X/22, is collaborating with the Secretariat and the Parties of the Convention in order to facilitate the implementation of the Plan of Action and the establishment of an Advisory Committee of Subnational Governments for Biodiversity. In doing so, nrg4SD is also working with all the members of the global partnership, and in particular with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, who are key partners to the Convention for the implementation of the Plan of Action and the establishment of the Advisory Committee of Local Authorities and Cities.
nrg4SD Working Groups
nrg4SD has also established two working groups relevant to biodiversity. The first one focuses on the implementation of the UN CBD Plan of Action, while the second one is devoted to Forests Policy.
More information about the Working Group on Biodiversity >
More information about the planned Working Group on Forests >
Workshops, seminars and other events
2011 - International Year of Forests
17-19 January 2011, Montpellier, France - First meeting on the Implementation of the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Local Authorities on Biodiversity.
22 May 2011 - International Day for Biological Diversity - Statement of Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf.
29-31 August 2011, Quebec City, Canada - nrg4SD 2011 General Assembly - First informal discussions on the Advisory Committee in the presence UN CBD Secretariat and meeting nrg4SD biodiversity-related working groups
3 October 2011 - World Habitat Day
What’s coming up?
17 – 19 January 2012, Montpellier, France - Mediterranean Regional Workshop for Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans: Coordinating Local and National Action in the Mediterranean Basin
6-9 March 2012, Paraná, Brazil - First meeting of UN CBD Advisory Committee of Subnational Governments - nrg4SD is identified as a key partner to this Committee in teh text of the COP Decision. This meeting os organised by the Government of the State of Parana (member of nrg4SD), in collaboration with the Secretariat of CBD and with the support of the City of Curitiba, nrg4SD and the organisation of local authorities ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability. The meetings counts as well with the support of the Government of Brazil.
22 May 2012 - International Day for Biological Diversity
3 October 2012 - World Habitat Day
8 - 19 October 2012, Hyderabad, India - UN CBD COP11 - A parallel Summit of subnational governments and of cities is being envisaged in order to feed into COP11 negotiations. nrg4SD is working with the Secretariat of UN CBD and with ICLEI on this dossier. More information will become available soon.
