Notification 2011-032

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of this notification is to invite Parties and relevant organizations to provide information for the in-depth review of implementation of the programme of work on island biodiversity by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) at its 16th meeting, tentatively scheduled for May 2012. In decision IX/21, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD requested SBSTTA to undertake an in-depth review (IdR) of the programme of work on island biodiversity at one of its meetings after the tenth meeting of the COP (Nagoya, Japan, October 2010), for final consideration by COP 11 in 2012. The COP reiterated this decision at its tenth meeting (decision X/9), and the Secretariat is planning the IdR for SBSTTA 16. The review will measure progress in the implementation of the programme of work on island biodiversity (annex to decision VIII/1) and will focus on (i) the extent of implementation; (ii) status and trends of island biodiversity and drivers of change; (iii) constraints to implementation; (iv) activities and views of relevant organizations; and (v) key responses and suggestions to maximize the contribution of the programme of work to the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan of the Convention and its goals and targets. The IdR was launched at an island event on 26 October 2010, during COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan, and has since begun with an analysis of the fourth national reports submitted to the Secretariat by island Parties and Parties with islands. The success of this process depends largely on the input of Parties and relevant organizations. To this end, island Parties and Parties with islands are invited to submit additional information to supplement and/or update the information in their national report. Island Parties that have not yet submitted their national report are strongly urged to do so, so that their input may be reflected in the IdR. Given the correspondence between the programme of work and the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan of the Convention (see https://www.cbd.int/islands/doc/idr/comparison-sp-pow.pdf for a comparison), Parties are requested to report under the framework of the 20 targets of the Strategic Plan (the “Aichi Targets”), found in the annex to decision X/2, and submit this information to the Executive Secretary as soon as possible, but no later than 29 April 2011. For your convenience, and in order to facilitate a consistent assessment of progress toward each of the Aichi Targets, Parties are encouraged to fill-in the matrix annexed to this notification and available online at: http://www.cbd.int/island/reports.shtml. Where insufficient information is available from the Party’s national report or additional voluntary submissions, the Party may be contacted to provide additional information. This exercise can also be viewed as preparation for submission of the fifth national report, in 2014. Further information on the in-depth review of the programme of work on island biological diversity can be found, as it becomes available, at http://www.cbd.int/island/review.shtml. Please do not hesitate to contact oliver.hillel@cbd.int for further assistance. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations