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SBSTTA 14 Recommendation XIV/11

XIV/11.Consideration of proposals related to the programme of work on dry and sub-humid lands

I.RECOMMENDATION TO THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice recommends that the Conference of the Parties adopts a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties
1.[Recognizing that the criteria used under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for the definition of drylands differs from the criteria used under the Convention on Biological Diversity in that UNCCD defines drylands according to an aridity index and covers arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas,] requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to:
(a)[Explore,] [develop and implement] preferably through the means and procedures already established within each of the relevant conventions (e.g. programmes of work of the Convention on Biological Diversity) joint actions to increase cooperation between the natural and social science communities to increase the integration of biodiversity considerations in disaster reduction, including as a contribution to the follow-up to the World Climate Congress 3;
(b)Publish, subject to the availability of financial resources, a peer-reviewed special CBD Technical Series report on the value of dry and sub-humid lands, 15 similar to the Technical Series reports on valuing wetlands and forests, taking into account the role of pastoralists and other indigenous and local communities in the conservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands and their associated traditional knowledge with a view to making the report available in time for the second Scientific Conference of the Committee on Science and Technology of the UNCCD;
(c)Participate in the second Scientific Conference of the Committee on Science and Technology of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to be held in 2012, with the specific thematic topic of "Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas"; and
(d)Take into consideration the results of the second International Conference on Climate, Sustainability and Development in Semi-arid Regions, held in Fortaleza, Brazil, in August 2009 and other events of interest;
(e)Take into consideration the crucial role of civil society in implementing measures for the sustainable management of dry and sub-humid lands and for identifying best practices;
2.Further requests the Executive Secretary to expand:
(a)The online database of good practices and lessons learned with regards to linking biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to livelihoods in dry and sub-humid lands, particularly in the case of indigenous and local communities and to coordinate, [as appropriate], with the UNCCD Committee on Science and Technology efforts to set up a knowledge management system;
(b)The incentive-measures database to better include programmes in dry and sub-humid lands;
3.Noting the guidance on pastoralism contained in the good practice guide on pastoralism, nature conservation and development, 16 further requests the Executive Secretary to identify:
(a)In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), best practices to address conflict between biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and pastoralism and agriculture in dry and sub-humid lands in order to fill identified gaps in information with the full participation of indigenous and local communities and subject to the availability of financial resources;
(b)Good-practice examples of the involvement of marginalized groups, defined based on national circumstances, in the implementation of the programme of work on the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands, especially nomadic pastoralists and mobile indigenous peoples;
4.Further invites Parties and other Governments, where appropriate, to:
(a)Develop and implement, or revise existing, drought management plans and early warning systems at all levels, including regional and subregional and basin-level management plans, taking into account the impact of drought and desertification on biodiversity and the role of biodiversity in increasing the resilience of dry and sub-humid lands, seeking:
(i)The inclusion of risk evaluation, impact assessments and impact management; and
(ii)To direct biodiversity management for the prevention of desertification, including through the involvement of all stakeholders, particularly women and pastoralists and other indigenous and local communities and, as appropriate, in accordance with traditional community-based strategies, particularly through customary use systems;
(b)Integrate issues related to dry and sub-humid lands into relevant national strategies, plans and programmes, in particular, revised national biodiversity strategies and action plans, national action programmes to combat desertification, (NAPs) and national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs) with a view to improve and harmonize implementation where possible, with the full participation of indigenous and local communities;
(c)Recalling decision IX/17, continue to implement those activities contained in paragraphs 29 and 30 of the progress report and consideration of proposals for future action prepared by the Executive Secretary for the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/19) as well as the activities identified in decision IX/16 on possible joint activities regarding the three Rio Conventions, including through regional programmes, and more effective coordination between the Rio conventions, recognizing that implementation has, thus far, been limited;
(d)Consult with neighbouring countries and other countries in their respective subregions and regions to develop and execute collaborative drought management strategies and action plans to reduce the impact of drought on biodiversity at regional, subregional and/or basin levels;
(e)Develop and implement best practice guides for integrated planning between dry and sub-humid lands and wetlands with a view to contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands;
(f)Create an environment for demonstration and pilot activities in sustainable farming and sustainable use of wild resources in dry and sub-humid lands;
5.Takes into consideration the Hua Hin Declaration, which addresses climate-change adaptation and risks to biodiversity as common challenges of countries in the Mekong River Basin;
6.Further invites Parties and other Governments to establish specific national and regional targets, in accordance with national circumstances and in line with the Strategic Plan for the period 2011 2020 to assess implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity programme of work on the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands in order to better reflect the particular challenges faced by such ecosystems and the people living in them, particularly indigenous and local communities;
7.Further invites Parties and other Governments and relevant organizations to support activities identified in national capacity self-assessments (NCSAs) that promote synergies among the three Rio conventions at the subnational, national and regional level, within dry and sub-humid lands [and to integrate such support within the implementation of the joint work programme between the three Rio conventions];
8.Further encourages Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to make use of the information contained in the note by the Executive Secretary on integration of climate change impacts and response activities within the programme of work on the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/14/6/Add.1), as well as in decision IX/16, with the full participation of indigenous and local communities, in their future work on integrating climate change into the implementation of the programme of work on the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands.

II.REQUEST TO THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, in line with its recommendation XIV/5, requests the Executive Secretary to consult Parties, and with the full participation of indigenous and local communities, in order to explore the possibilities to develop a proposal on joint activities between the three Rio conventions and report on progress to the Conference of the Parties at its tenth meeting.
15 Decision V/23 establishes that dry and sub-humid lands includes: drylands, Mediterranean, arid, semi arid, grassland, and savannah ecosystems. [Decision IX/17 further adopts the delineation of dry and sub-humid lands consistent with the criteria for arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid lands set out by the UNCCD.]
16 http://www.cbd.int/development/doc/cbd-good-practice-guide-pastoralism-booklet-web-en.pdf.

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  • United Nations Environment Programme