IUCN World Conservation Congress

The 6^th IUCN World Conservation Congress was held from 1-10 September in Hawai’i (USA). Harry Jonas launched the first draft of the Conservation Standards at an event co-hosted with Gina Cosentina, which was attended by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, among others. As a Co-Chair of the IUCN Task Force on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), he also presented on early guidance on OECMs at an event hosted at the Protected Planet Pavilion. A number of important resolutions were adopted at the Congress’s Assembly, including on: a) recognition and respect of indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) overlapped by protected areas, and b) Enabling the Whakatane Mechanism to contribute to conservation though securing communities’ rights. 

Sixth Annual Heart of Borneo Conference in Sabah

The Heart of Borneo. Credit: WWF

The Heart of Borneo is a transboundary conservation initiative spearheaded by the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Holly Jonas (Natural Justice) attended the initiative's sixth annual conference on 10 November 2014 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, which focused on the theme "Enhancing Biodiversity towards No Net Loss and Beyond within the Heart of Borneo Landscape".

The conference was opened by Datuk Sam Mannan (Director of Sabah Forestry Department), who underscored the need for political sustainability in decision-making on environmental sustainability, and Datuk Seri G. Palanivel (Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment), who committed to applying for additional funds for the Heart of Borneo under the 11th Malaysia Plan. Dr. Greg Asner (Carnegie Institution for Science) delivered the keynote address on his team's groundbreaking work on remote sensing 3-dimensional mapping using the Carnegie Airborne Observatory.

New Steps Of Change: Looking Beyond Protected Areas To Consider Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures

In 2010, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Aichi Biodiversity Targets as part of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Target 11 calls for ‘at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas’ to be conserved by way of ‘well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures’. Yet four years after their adoption, parties to the CBD and other rights- and stakeholders have not received guidance about either what kinds of arrangements do and do not constitute ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’, or how best to appropriately recognise and support them.

This paper by Harry Jonas, Valentina Barbuto, Holly Jonas, Ashish Kothari, and Fred Nelson argues that without clear guidance on the issue, conservation law and policy will continue to inappropriately and/or inadequately recognise the great diversity of forms of conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their constituent elements across landscapes and seascapes, including by Indigenous peoples and local communities.

In this context, and in line with calls from the Convention on Biological Diversity and the IUCN, it proposes the establishment of an IUCN Task Force to further explore the issues with a view to developing clear guidance on ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ as a means to effectively and equitably achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 11. The full paper is available for download here.

Natural Justice and ICCA Host Side Event at SBSTTA 18

On June 26, 2014, Natural Justice and the ICCA Consortium held a side event during SBSTTA 18 on Indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) and how they can help in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The side event focused in particular on Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), a type of ICCA that encompasses coastal and ocean territories and areas. This topic was particularly relevant given SBSTTA 18 Agenda Item 4 on marine and coastal biodiversity (link to agenda).

The side event featured two speakers, Onel Marsadule, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Indigenous Knowledge, and Taghi Farvar, President of the ICCA Consortium. Onel's presentation focused on the Kuna Yala people of Panama, whose territory includes a large marine ecosystem on Panama's Caribbean coast. Onel noted that the Kuna people have their own system of governance for the protection of marine and coastal biodiversity of their territory. For the Kuna, the importance of protecting marine resources and ecosystems is not only food dependency, but also on a holistic, cultural and spiritual relationship with the marine ecosystems. The Kuna have codified their customary laws into a written text, and one provision requires any project or activity affecting natural resources and biodiversity (which would include marine resources and biodiversity) to have an environmental impact study. He concluded by observing that it is essential to recognize indigenous resource management of marine ecosystems and called on Parties to strengthen customary laws and practices of conservation and traditional institutions.

Natural Justice at IDLO Roundtable at WGRI 5 on Legal Preparedness Regarding NBSAPs

On 21 June 2014, IDLO and the CBD Secretariat hosted a Roundtable on Legal Preparedness for Implementing and Mainstreaming National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). The event was designed to raise awareness of legal tools available to assist countries to use law to achieve the Aichi Targets and to allow Parties to share their experiences regarding implementation of their NBSAPs. Several countries shared their experiences, with many noting common themes such as inadequate awareness of legislation relevant to biodiversity; inadequate funding for biodiversity; and the related issue of difficulty with obtaining funds due to cost/benefit analysis that does not adequately capture the value of biodiversity.

Several organizations, including the ABS Capacity Building Initiative, the IUCN, and Natural Justice also gave interventions regarding their work. Jael Makagon highlighted the ICCA Legal Reviews coordinated by Natural Justice in 2012, noting that recognition of and respect for ICCAs is a way of achieving all of the Aichi Targets. While supportive formal law and implementation of law are crucial aspects of conserving and sustainably using biodiversity, achieving the Aichi Targets also needs institutional support as well. One way of doing so is for Parties to recognize and support ICCAs in their NBSAPs.

CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Dias provided closing remarks, noting that while the "political will" of government officials is important, the political will of society is even more important to put pressure on the government to achieve the goals of the CBD. He also highlighted the importance of governments partnering with communities to achieve the Aichi Targets, and hinted that the issue of traditional knowledge, which has been discussed for so many years at WIPO without much progress, will be taken up substantively at this year's Conference of the Parties.

Second Session of IPBES Held in Turkey

From 9-14 December 2013, the second session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-2) met in Antalya, Turkey. The objective of the platform is “to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, for long-term human well-being and sustainable development”.

Within the final decision of the Platform “The Antalya Consensus” was adopted by delegates, this includes the following:

• A work programme for the period 2014-2018;
• Three task forces on capacity building, Indigenous and local knowledge systems, and knowledge and data;
• Development of a guide for the production and integration of sub-regional and regional assessments;
• Methodological assessments on: pollination and pollinators associated with food production; scenario analysis and modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services; the conceptualisation of values of biodiversity and nature’s benefit to people; and thematic assessments on land degradation and restoration, invasive alien species, and the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity; and
• Rules and procedures for the Platform including the nomination of future Multidisciplinary Expert Panel members.

Seventeenth SBSTTA Meeting Enters Final Day of Panel Discussions, With Drafting of "Conclusions" to Begin Thursday

As the seventeenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) continues in Montreal, Parties and Observers continue to address the Strategic Goals and Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The meeting is being conducted with a combination of short speeches by members of panels who are selected based on their expertise in the Strategic Goal being addressed, followed by interventions on the part of Parties and Observers. This format means that some interventions with regard to a specific Strategic Goal are not able to be heard during the plenary and are pushed to the following day. On Thursday, 17 October, the agenda calls for the drafting of "conclusions and recommendations for further work." (Agenda link here.)

Thus far, Natural Justice has been involved in the SBSTTA meeting in several ways. On Monday, Eli Makagon spoke at a side event held by the CBD Alliance regarding a proposed ABS regulation to implement the Nagoya Protocol in the European Union (EU) currently pending before the European Council (for further information, see links on this page). On Tuesday, 15 October, Eli, with the assistance of Nele Marien, coordinator of the CBD Alliance, briefed delegates from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) on the EU's proposed regulation, noting that it severely limits the Nagoya Protocol's scope by limiting its application to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge accessed after the Nagoya Protocol enters into force for the EU. On Wednesday, 16 October, Natural Justice and the Global Forest Coalition will co-host, along with the ICCA Consortium, a side event on meeting the Aichi Targets. In addition, Natural Justice will be attending several other side events as well as the ongoing plenary sessions. For more immediate updates and further information on the meeting, check out Natural Justice's Twitter feed online at https://twitter.com/naturaljustice.

Seventeenth Meeting of the SBSTTA Begins in Montreal, Canada

On October 14, 2013, country delegates, representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities, and other participants came together in Montreal, Canada for the seventeenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). This meeting, chaired by Mr. Gemedo Dalle Tussie (Ethiopia), is particularly noteworthy because it involves an entirely new meeting format. In the past, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) prepared draft recommendations that the Parties attending the SBSTTA meeting then considered throughout the meeting's course. This year, however, the CBD Secretariat did not prepare any draft recommendations. Instead, the first three days of the 17th meeting will consist of expert panels addressing issues on the SBSTTA agenda. Summaries of the discussions held during those panels will then be created in order to draft "conclusions, and if appropriate, recommendations." (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/17/1/Add.2, para. 6(c)). The effectiveness and ramifications of this new format remain to be seen, and some countries have called into question whether the decision to change the format conforms with the decisions regarding SBSTTA adopted during prior Conferences of the Parties.

On the agenda for this meeting are 2 main items: Item 3 -- Facilitating the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets through scientific and technical means; and Item 4 -- Assessing the effects of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention. With regard to Item 3, only the first four Strategic Goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (Goals A-D) will be discussed. Thus, Strategic Goal E, and its crucial Target 18 regarding traditional knowledge of and customary use of biological resources by indigenous peoples and local communities will dot be addressed.

International Meeting of the ICCA Consortium

The Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) Consortium held its annual international meeting, including its General Assembly from the 4th-6th of October, in Valdeavellano de Tera, Spain. 

Natural Justice is a founding member of the ICCA Consortium and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) and Lesle Jansen (Natural Justice) are its International Policy Adviser and Co-ordinator for Southern and East Africa respectively. 

During the 3 days, members of the Consortium from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe shared their experiences on work with ICCAs. Among the discussions were experiences from Philippines and Europe in which communities have been able to successfully protect their ICCAs.

Recognising Sacred Sites Could Double Conserved Area

Via www.cifor.org

As attendees of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) discussed how conserved areas can be increased from 12 to 17 percent of the earth's land to meet target 11 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by the 2020 deadline, some representatives argued that recognising lands sacred to indigenous communities could double the amount of protected land worldwide. Granting this status to areas conserved by indigenous communities would not only improve the conservation of land with immense biodiversity, it will also strengthen communities and help to keep them intact according to a recent blog post by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). 

The blog post cites the director of Natural Justice partner MELCA, Million Belay, who also feels that this recognition will strengthen and legitimise traditional knowledge. Bas Vershuuren, co-chair of the IUCN specialist group on cultural and spiritual values of protected areas and also a Natural Justice partner, said that through the recognition of sacred sites, conservation can be decentralised as opposed to the way it is currently practiced. 

Read the full blog post here. 

Overview of Key CBD COP11 Outcomes

Kabir Bavikatte (left) and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice)

discussing key issues in the negotiations towards a plan

of action on customary sustainable use. Photo via IISD-RS.

Natural Justice was recently in India for the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which took place from 8-19 October in Hyderabad. In addition to a range of events and meetings, we actively participated in the negotiations, with particular emphasis on the draft decisions on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, and Protected Areas. Other key agenda items for which we provided technical guidance and coordination assistance through the CBD Alliance and ICCA Consortium included: Monitoring Progress on the Implementation of the Strategic Plan and Aichi Biodiversity Targets; Review of the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity; Ecosystem Restoration; Marine and Coastal Biodiversity; Biodiversity and Climate Change; Biodiversity for Poverty Eradication and Development; Biological Diversity of Inland Water Ecosystems; Forest Biodiversity; and Agricultural Biodiversity.

The overriding emphasis of the negotiations was on setting the foundations for resource mobilisation and policy alignment for implementation of the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan and Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Amongst the 33 decisions adopted, there were many provisions of direct relevance to the work of Natural Justice and our partners.

Overview of Key CBD COP11 Events

Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) launching the study on legal
and institutional aspects of ICCAs. Photo via IISD-RS.

Natural Justice was recently in India for the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which took place from 8-19 October in Hyderabad. With a range of civil society, network, government, and intergovernmental partners, we co-organised, presented at and/or attended the following key meetings and events:

• 6-7 October: CBD Alliance preparatory meeting;
• 8 October: side event on the legal weight and implementation of the CBD;
• 9 October: workshop on Indigenous peoples' and local community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) in South Asia, organised by Kalpavriksh and others;
• 9 October: side event to launch the joint study on Legal and Institutional Aspects of Recognising and Supporting Conservation by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (full list of reports available here);
• 9 October: informal meeting with India-based partners in the Asia Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols, with particular emphasis on Livestock Keepers' Rights in the context of the 2006 Forest Rights Act;

CBD Secretariat Hosts Colloquium on ICCAs and Aichi Targets

Participants of national conference on ICCAs in the 

Philippines, which took place in March 2012. Photo via

iccaforum.org.

According to a notification of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Indigenous peoples’ and local community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) provide multiple ecological, cultural and biodiversity values, contribute greatly to food and water security and other ecosystem processes, and help achieve the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and Aichi Biodiversity Targets. ICCAs play a critical role in ensuring access and respecting rights to customary sustainable use and facilitating inter-generational communication of traditional environmental knowledge, innovations and practices. The Secretariat continues by noting that ICCAs are increasingly recognised as the living embodiment of both Articles 8(j) and 10(c) of the CBD.

In an effort to support implementation of these Articles and several past CBD decisions, on 13 October at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11), the CBD Secretariat co-hosted a one-day colloquium on the role of ICCAs in achieving the 2011-2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, along with the governments of Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Senegal, and South Africa, the ICCA Consortium, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, and Conservation International.

New CBD Newsletter - Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the CBD Alliance have released a new edition of Square Brackets, the newsletter they publish jointly. This edition’s focus is on Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and includes interviews with six heads of agencies of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets Task Force. Natural Justice’s Holly Shrumm served on the editorial board for the publication. 

The interviews with the heads of the task force agencies seek to understand how their agencies are contributing to the objectives of the task force, the challenges in doing so, and how civil society, indigenous peoples, and local community organizations can work with their respective agencies in achieving the Aichi Targets. Each interview offers valuable insight into the task force’s work and areas for partnering with civil society. Other fascinating articles consider the enforcement of the CBD, the importance of input from community voices, a discussion of equitable governance and management in protected areas, and what can be expected from the 11th Conference of Parties of the CBD. 

The full newsletter can be downloaded here.

UNEP Protected Planet Report

The United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) has released its first ever "Protected Planet Report." The report seeks to track global progress towards achieving Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The report was compiled by UNEP-WCMC, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's World Commission on Protected Areas and a wide range of organisations that build on the work of the CBD-mandated Biodiversity Indicators Partnership.

The report, which will now be released semi-annually, notes that while the protected area network is growing towards achieving targets in terms of area covered, many protected areas do not offer adequate protection for endangered species. The report also reveals that protected area management is changing dramatically around the world. According to Nature's write up of the report, "in 1990, just 14% of protected areas allowed hunting and other sustainable uses of natural resources, but today that number has risen to 32%. At the same time, the amount of area managed exclusively by governments has declined from 96% to 77%, a trend reflecting the rise of community-based conservation and co-management schemes with indigenous peoples."

Nature's story on the report can be accessed here. IUCN's description of the report can be found here. The report can be downloaded here. 

IUCN Journal on PAs and Conservation Re-Launched

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released the first edition of its re-launched PARKS: The International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation. The journal includes contributions on a wide range of subjects important to protected areas and conservation including ocean protection, protecting indigenous grasslands in New Zealand, the impact of veterinary fencing in southern Africa, the linkages between human health and well-being and protected areas in Canada, and a discussion of motivations for hunting in Iran. The journal was co-edited by Sue Stolton and Nigel Dudley of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and Equilibrium Research. 

Two articles consider Target 11 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which references "other effective area-based conservation measures", which can include Indigenous peoples' and local community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs). An editorial by Nik Lopoukhine, Chair of the IUCN WCPA, and Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, seeks clarity on which “management approaches are, and are not, to be included within the land and water areas established under the auspices of the target.” “Meeting Aichi Target 11: What Does Success Look Like for Protected Area Systems?” is authored by several  IUCN and United Nations Environment Programme staff and argues for “a holistic interpretation of Target 11 as a way for the global community to use protected areas to change the current unacceptable trends in global biodiversity loss.” 

The full journal can be downloaded here. Information on the journal and links to individual articles can be found here. Find IUCN on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IUCN.