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Decision COP XIII/4

CBD/COP/DEC/XIII/4

Biodiversity and climate change

The Conference of the Parties,
Reaffirming paragraph 8 of decision X/33,
Recognizing that cooperation among the biodiversity, climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster reduction communities results in a greater ability to design interventions that deliver multiple benefits,
Also recognizing the potential for synergies provided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,  the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 2030,  the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Paris Agreement, 
Further recognizing the need for the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities including through prior informed consent, and the need to pay particular attention to their differentiated needs in order to avoid detrimental impacts on their livelihoods and cultures,
Recognizing that gender-responsive approaches and engagement of the youth are critical to ensure the success and sustainability of climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction policies, programmes and projects,
Also recognizing the need for improved scientific information concerning the climate change adaptation of the protected areas networks, their functionality and connectivity,
Noting resolution XII.11 of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention) at its twelfth session, entitled “Peatlands, climate change and wise use: Implications for the Ramsar Convention”, which highlights the role of peatlands in climate change not only in adaptation but also in mitigation, 
Taking note of the following reports and the summary information provided in the note by the Executive Secretary on biodiversity and climate change: 
(a)Synthesis report on experiences with ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction; 
(b)Managing ecosystems in the context of climate change mitigation: A review of current knowledge and recommendations to support ecosystem-based mitigation actions that look beyond terrestrial forests; 
(c)Relationships between the Aichi Targets and land-based climate mitigation; 
(d)Guidance on enhancing positive and minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity of climate change adaptation activities; 
(e)Voluntary guidelines to support the integration of genetic diversity into national climate change adaptation planning; 
Informational
1.Welcomes the Paris Agreement, in particular the articles related to biodiversity; 
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s)
2.Encourages Parties and other Governments, when developing their Nationally Determined Contributions and, where appropriate, implementing associated domestic measures, to fully take into account the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, including oceans, and the protection of biodiversity, and to integrate ecosystem-based approaches, involving the national focal points to the Convention on Biological Diversity in this work and ensuring that information and tools and guidance developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity are used, as appropriate;
Informational
3.Recognizes that ecosystem-based approaches can be technically feasible, politically desirable, socially acceptable, economically viable and beneficial and that implementation and investment into these approaches are, in general, increasing at the international and national levels;
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s) Relevant organizations
4.Encourages Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to integrate ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction, into their strategic planning across sectors;
Informational
5.Emphasizes the importance of marine protected areas, inland waters protected areas, coastal resource management and marine spatial planning in protecting and building the resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems, communities and infrastructure against the impacts of climate change;
Informational
6.Takes note of policy approaches and positive incentives for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, as well as alternative policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests, and the potential role of these approaches in the conservation of biological diversity and disaster risk reduction;
Informational
7.Also takes note of the potential for synergies between climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the conservation of biological diversity and disaster risk reduction in all ecosystems;
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s) Relevant organizations
8.Encourages Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations:
(a)To address the degradation of, loss of, and impacts on biodiversity and, where appropriate, related social, environmental and economic impacts associated with climate change and disasters, considering the costs of inaction, and the value of investing in actions in a timely manner in order to reduce biodiversity loss and other negative impacts;
(b)To take into consideration the status of biodiversity and its vulnerability to current and future climate change impacts when planning and implementing ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction activities, and to minimize and, where possible, avoid activities that may increase the vulnerability and reduce the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystems;
(c)To consider, in the development and implementation of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction, potential multiple benefits and trade-offs;
(d)To develop and implement education and training curricula and awareness-raising programmes for the general public on the importance of the ecosystem functions and services provided by biodiversity for climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction;
(e)To raise awareness, particularly among decision makers in relevant sectors and at different levels of government, about ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction;
(f)To recognize the role of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures as cost-effective instruments for climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as disaster risk reduction, and that increased investment for management and conservation will have positive economic, social and environmental effects;
(g)To develop and implement ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction that are based on available science and take into account the traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities;
(h)To promote the wide use of ecosystem-based approaches where appropriate, including in marine and coastal and urban areas, in oases systems, and in agricultural landscapes;
(i)To systematically assemble and analyse evidence to assess the effectiveness of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction, including through development of improved monitoring and evaluation methods, noting that such methods are best developed and applied early in the planning phase;
(j)To make use of existing tools and guidance on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction and, where appropriate, to further develop and refine these tools and guidance;
(k)To ensure that ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction activities maximize co-benefits to people and biodiversity;
(l)To promote platforms, such as those established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices, including those of indigenous peoples and local communities on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction, in a holistic and integrated manner;
(m)To promote the integration of climate change adaptation best practices, strategies and methodologies into conservation planning frameworks, in consideration of species and ecosystems responses, and vulnerability to past and future anthropogenic climate change;
(n)To share and disseminate knowledge and experiences on matters referred to in the present paragraph through, inter alia, the clearing-house mechanism;
Informational
9.Recalls paragraph 5 of decision IX/16, in which it encouraged Parties, other Governments, donors and relevant organizations to provide financial and technical support to capacity-building activities, including through raising public awareness, so as to enable developing countries, especially least developed countries, small island developing States and countries with economies in transition, to implement activities related to the impacts of climate change, and of the positive and negative impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation activities on biodiversity;
Operational Implemented Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
10.Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, subject to the availability of resources, in collaboration with relevant organizations, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, voluntary guidelines for the design and effective implementation of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical and Technological Advice prior to the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
Operational Implemented Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
11.Also requests the Executive Secretary to ensure that the voluntary guidelines consider existing guidance, including that developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and include information on:
(a)Tools for assessing the effectiveness of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction while safeguarding biodiversity at various scales;
(b)The design and implementation of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction at different scales, including at the subnational and local levels;
(c)Trade-offs in the provision of various ecosystem services and limits to ecosystem-based approaches for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction;
(d)Tools and indicators for monitoring the effectiveness of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction;
(e)Options for integrating alternative policy approaches into ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction;
(f)Integrating knowledge, technologies, practices and efforts of indigenous peoples and local communities related to addressing and responding to climate change and impacts on the biodiversity;
(g)Methods making use of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in combination with hard infrastructure;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
12.Further requests the Executive Secretary to further promote synergies with the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-20302 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring that this includes increasing knowledge and sharing of information, guidance and tools developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity relating to the impacts of climate change on biological diversity and the role of ecosystems for climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction, with a view to identifying possible solutions;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
13.Requests the Executive Secretary to further enhance synergies between the work of the Convention on ecosystem restoration, ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation and the work on land degradation neutrality and sustainable land management under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and ensure coherence with relevant approaches under other United Nations bodies.
Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-13
Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
4 - 17 December, 2016
Cancun, Mexico

Documents
CBD/SBSTTA/22/INF/1
Voluntary guidelines for the design and effective implementation of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
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