Decision COP V/8

1.Urges Parties, Governments and relevant organizations to apply the interim guiding principles contained in annex I to the present decision, as appropriate, in the context of activities aimed at implementing Article 8(h) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and in the various sectors;

2.Endorses the outline for case-studies contained in annex II to the present decision;

3.Urges Parties, Governments and relevant organizations to submit case-studies to the Executive Secretary, particularly focusing on thematic assessments, on the basis of the outline contained in the annex to the present decision;

4.Requests the Convention's clearing-house mechanism to disseminate and compile these case-studies;

5.Requests Parties, other Governments, relevant bodies and other relevant international and regional binding and non-binding instruments, in the light of discussions by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its fifth meeting, to submit to the Executive Secretary written comments on the interim guiding principles, to be taken into account, together with the case-studies, in the further elaboration of the interim guiding principles, to be considered by the Subsidiary Body prior to the sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties, and requests the Executive Secretary to distribute those comments through the national focal points;

6.Urges Parties, other Governments and relevant bodies to give priority to the development and implementation of alien invasive species strategies and action plans;

7.Strongly encourages Parties to develop mechanisms for transboundary cooperation and regional and multilateral cooperation in order to deal with the issue, including the exchange of best practices;

8. Urges Parties, other Governments and relevant bodies, such as the Global Invasive Species Programme, in their work on alien invasive species, to give priority attention to geographically and evolutionarily isolated ecosystems, and to use the ecosystem approach and precautionary and biogeographical approaches, as appropriate;

9.Encourages Parties to develop effective education, training and public awareness measures, as well as to inform the public about the different aspects of the issue, including the risks posed by alien invasive species; 

10.Requests the Global Invasive Species Programme, in developing a global strategy to deal with alien invasive species, to ensure consistency with the provisions on alien invasive species in Article 8(h) of the Convention and relevant provisions within other articles, including Article 14, taking into full account considerations on alien invasive species within relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties on, for example, the conservation and sustainable use of inland water, marine and coastal and forest biological diversity, and the biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands;

11.Requests the Executive Secretary to cooperate with other international bodies and other relevant international and regional binding and non-binding instruments, such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar), the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, the International Plant Protection Convention and regional plant protection organizations, Codex Alimentarius, DIVERSITAS, the Office International des Epizooties, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the organizations mentioned in paragraph 14 of the present decision, with the aim of coordinating work on alien invasive species, and to report on potential joint programmes of work to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;

12.Invites the Parties, Governments, the Global Invasive Species Programme and other relevant bodies, to disseminate publicly available information which they hold or acquire, including databases of alien species, through the Convention's clearing-house mechanism;

13.Invites the Global Invasive Species Programme to report on its September 2000 meeting on the "synthesis of GISP phase 1" to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties, recognizing the need to continue the work of the Global Invasive Species Programme through the prompt development of the second phase of the Global Invasive Species Programme, with emphasis on ecosystems vulnerable to alien species invasions;