Hyderabad, India 20 October 2012 –the world’s governments have agreed to double funding for biodiversity conservation by 2015 at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP11), which ended today.  Developed countries agreed to double funding to support efforts in developing states towards meeting the international Biodiversity Targets, and the main goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.  Also, developing countries including India and several African states, pledged to increase funds towards the work of the CBD.

At the COP11, marine biodiversity was an important agenda.  The 193 Parties agreed to classify a diverse list of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas. UNEP launched its Protected Planet 2012 report which found that half of the world's richest biodiversity zones remain entirely unprotected - despite a 60 per cent increase in the number of protected areas since 1990. To meet the Aichi Biodiversity Target of ensuring that 10 per cent of marine areas are protected by 2020, an additional 8 million ㎢of marine and coastal areas would need to be recognized as protected - an area just over the size of Australia.  The parties also called for more research into the potential adverse effects of underwater noise from ships on marine/coastal biodiversity and marine litter.  There was also a call to fisheries management bodies to play a stronger role in addressing the impacts of fisheries on biodiversity.

In order to achieve Aichi targets, COP11 reviewed global progress and revised National Biodiversity Strategies and action Plans.  Specifically, the COP reaffirmed the need for enhanced technical and scientific cooperation among countries. To support such efforts, a new National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans Forum (NBSAP Forum) was launched to provide targeted information such as best practices, guidelines and learning tools online.  UNEP’s Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Initiative also presented a series of practical guides for integrating the economic, social and cultural value of ecosystems into national biodiversity plans.  In addition, a new work was developed by COP11 and supported by a call by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and other bodies, in order to achieve Aichi Target 15 which calls for the restoration of 15% of degraded lands.  In addition, the COP adopted recommendations for improving the sustainable use and management of hunting in tropical and sub-tropical regions, where large-scale hunting and trade of animals has led to 'empty forest syndrome', and increasingly threatens food security, and the ecological stability of forests and other ecosystems. Together with FAO and other organizations, the CBD Secretariat will establish a global 'Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management' to support developing countries in the implementation of relevant CBD provisions.

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