X/34.Agricultural biodiversity

1.Stresses the importance of agricultural biodiversity for food security and nutrition, especially in the face of climate change and limited natural resources as recognized by the Rome Declaration of the 2009 World Summit on Food Security;⁷⁹

2.Notes with appreciation the ongoing work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture on the implementation of the agricultural biodiversity programme of work and the three international initiatives, on soil biodiversity, pollinators and biodiversity for food and nutrition, and welcomes the Strategic Plan for the period 2010-2017 for the implementation of the multi-year programme of work approved at the twelfth regular session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 2009,⁸⁰ and, in this context, welcomes the planned periodic publication of the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, and on their different genetic resources components, which will provide a solid technical base for the development of action plans, and welcomes in particular the publication of the second State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture report, which will provide a solid technical base for the further development of the global plan of action on plant genetic resources, as well as the adoption of the funding strategy for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action on Animal Genetic Resources, and invites Parties, and other Governments, to take into account the inter disciplinary and inter-sectoral nature of these publications in their implementation of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity;

3.Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, for areas within its mandate, to contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 by refining targets for agricultural biodiversity, including at the ecosystem and genetic resources levels, and monitoring progress towards them using indicators;

4.Welcomes, and notes the importance of, the joint work plan between the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture contained in the annex to the note by the Executive Secretary on the follow-up to requests contained in its decision IX/1 prepared for the fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,⁸¹ its important contribution to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 1 and 7, and the opportunities to further enhance the joint work plan in accordance with relevant matters arising from the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including consideration of matters in relation to targets and indicators of relevance to the programme of work, and relevant matters arising from the Strategic Plan 2010-2017 for the implementation of the multi-year programme of work of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture;

5.Requests the Executive Secretary and invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to work together in their design of the second phase of their joint work plan covering at least until 2017 focusing on refinements required as a result of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, but also considering, as necessary, inter alia:

6.Recognizes the importance of the processes led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, such as implementation of the Global Plan of Action on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture⁸³ and updating of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,⁸⁴ which contribute directly to achieving the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in crop and livestock sectors;

7.Invites Parties to incorporate, as appropriate, relevant elements of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity into their national biodiversity strategy and action plans as well as into their relevant sectoral and inter-sectoral policies and plans;

8.Invites Parties and other Governments to take action, taking into account national circumstances, to support, among others, farmers in in-situ conservation of traditional and local varieties, races and breeds and efforts to conserve crop wild relatives as means to ensure food security and nutrition and support traditional lifestyles, consistent and in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity and relevant international obligations;

9.Requests the Executive Secretary to strengthen collaboration with the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) to improve collaboration in the implementation of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity and the Treaty, as appropriate;

10.Invites the national focal points of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to enhance their collaboration;

11.Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to provide an expanded progress report on the implementation of the International Initiative on Soil Biodiversity (in addition to information already submitted in the progress report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on selected activities related to agricultural biodiversity circulated at the fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice⁸⁵) to the Executive Secretary for dissemination through the clearing-house mechanism;

12.Recognizes the importance of agricultural biodiversity and scientific, informal and traditional knowledge systems to the achievement of the objectives of the Convention, especially with regards to agricultural biodiversity, and recognizes the lead role of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in supporting the implementation of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity as well as related traditional knowledge systems, while also recognizing the important contributions and roles of other partners in this regard, including those of indigenous and local communities;

13.Noting the excellent progress made in collaboration between the Executive Secretary and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and that there is considerable benefit from further enhanced cooperation, requests the Executive Secretary and invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to strengthen their cooperation and invites Parties and other Governments to consider, as appropriate and feasible, providing further support to facilitate such enhanced cooperation;

14.Recognizes the continuing problems of nutrient loading caused by some agricultural practices, as noted in the in-depth review of the programme of work on inland water ecosystems,⁸⁶ invites Parties and other Governments, in accordance with paragraph 40 of decision IX/1 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to further enhance action on reducing nutrient loading caused by some agricultural practices and to provide further information to the Executive Secretary on the progress made, and requests the Executive Secretary to collate this information and to disseminate it through the clearing-house mechanism and other relevant means;

15.Notes the inter-connections between agricultural ecosystems and other ecosystems, particularly through land and water use activities, and invites Parties to consider the need for strengthened harmony between implementation of relevant elements of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity and other programmes of work of the Convention, consistent with the ecosystem approach, including at national and, where appropriate, regional levels;

16.Expresses its appreciation to Bioversity International for seconding a staff member to assist the Executive Secretary, in particular regarding, inter alia, agricultural biodiversity and sustainable use;

17.Notes the importance of the issue of sustainable use of biodiversity to the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity and invites Parties and requests the Executive Secretary to ensure coherence between the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity and Article 10 of the Convention, on sustainable use, noting decision IX/1 paragraph 32, of the Conference of the Parties, relating to agriculture and the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity;

18.Requests the Executive Secretary and invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Bioversity International, together with other relevant partners, including indigenous and local communities, subject to available resources, to provide further information on the nature of sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity and sustainable agriculture, including building upon information contained in the information note submitted by Bioversity International to the fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;⁸⁷

19.Welcomes resolution X.31 of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) on the subject "Enhancing biodiversity in rice paddies as wetland systems", which notes, inter alia, the culture of rice in 114 countries worldwide, that rice paddies (flooded and irrigated fields in which rice is grown) have provided large areas of open water for centuries and that they support a high level of rice associated biodiversity important for sustaining rice paddy ecosystems, as well as providing many other ecosystem services, recognizes the relevance of this resolution to the implementation of the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity and invites relevant Parties, as appropriate, to fully implement this resolution;

20.Recognizes also the importance of agro-ecosystems, in particular rice-paddy and oasis systems, for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, subject to resources, and in consultation with the Executive Secretary and relevant partners, including indigenous and local communities, to undertake further studies on the valuation of the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by agricultural ecosystems, in order to further support policy-relevant guidance to Parties for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting, consistent and in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant international obligations.