Decision COP VII/30

The Conference of the Parties,

Review and evaluation

Recognizing the need to:  (i) facilitate assessment of progress towards the 2010 target, and communication of this assessment; (ii) promote coherence among the various programmes of work of the Convention; and (iii) provide a flexible framework within which national and regional targets may be set, and indicators identified, where so desired by Parties; as well as (iv) the need for a mechanism to review implementation of the Convention,

Recalling the statement in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation that a more efficient and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention and the achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity will require the provision of new and additional financial and technical resources to developing countries,

1. Decides to develop a framework to enhance the evaluation of achievements and progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan and, in particular, its mission, to achieve a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and national levels.  The framework includes the following focal areas:

Goals and sub-targets will be established, and indicators identified, for each of the focal areas. The goals and sub-targets will complement the existing goals of the Strategic Plan; 

2. For the purposes of assessing progress towards the target to achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss, defines biodiversity loss as the long-term or permanent qualitative or quantitative reduction in components of biodiversity and their potential to provide goods and services, to be measured at global, regional and national levels;

Indicators for assessing progress towards, and communicating the 2010 target at the global level

3. In order to assess progress at the global level towards the 2010 target, and to communicate effectively trends in biodiversity related to the three objectives of the Convention, agrees that a limited number of trial indicators, for which data are available from existing sources, be developed and used in reporting, inter alia, through the Global Biodiversity Outlook.  A balanced set of indicators should be identified or developed, according to the principles for choosing indicators identified by the Expert Group on Indicators and Monitoring (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/9/10) referred to in decision VII/8, on monitoring and indicators, to assess and communicate trends in the focal areas listed in paragraph 1.  The global application of those indicators as well as the assessment of the progress towards the 2010 target should not be used to evaluate the level of implementation of the Convention in individual Parties or regions.  As far as is feasible, the indicators should be identified or developed in such as way that:

4. Agrees that the indicators to be tested, identified or developed, are listed in annex I to the present decision.  Indicators for immediate testing are listed in column B of annex I; indicators requiring further development are listed in column C of annex I;

5. Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its tenth or eleventh meetings to evaluate information on the changes in trends and status of biodiversity, particularly the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global level inter alia by reviewing a draft of the Second Global Biodiversity Outlook;

6. Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its tenth or eleventh meetings, with the assistance of an ad hoc technical expert group, subject to the availability of the necessary voluntary contributions  to:

7. Requests the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing and the Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, respectively, to explore the need and possible options for indicators for access to genetic resources and in particular for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, and associated innovations, knowledge and practices of  indigenous and local communities, and for the protection of innovations, knowledge and practices of  indigenous and local communities, and to report the results to the Conference of the Parties at its eighth meeting;

8. Requests the Executive Secretary, with the assistance of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme and other relevant international organizations, to 

9. Invites related conventions, assessment processes and relevant organizations to contribute reports and information that assist the monitoring of progress towards the 2010 targets;

10. Invites the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme to support the Secretariat in facilitating the compilation of information necessary for reporting on achievement on the 2010 target;

Goals and sub-targets to facilitate coherence among the programmes of work, and to provide a flexible framework for national targets

11. Decides to establish, goals and sub- targets for each of the focal areas identified in paragraph 1 above, as set out in annex II to the present decision, in order to clarify the 2010 global biodiversity target adopted by decision VI/26, help assess progress towards the target, and promote coherence among the programmes of work of the Convention.  Such goals would complement the existing goals of the Strategic Plan; 

12. Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its tenth or eleventh meetings to:

13. Requests the Executive Secretary:

National implementation and national biodiversity strategies and action plans

14. Emphasizes that the goals and targets referred to in paragraph 12 above should be viewed as a flexible framework within which national and/or regional targets may be developed, according to national priorities and capacities, and taking into account differences in diversity between countries;

15. Invites Parties and Governments to develop national and/or regional goals and targets, and, as appropriate, to incorporate them into relevant plans, programmes and initiatives, including national biodiversity strategies and action plans;

16. Invites Parties and Governments to use existing national indicators or to establish national indicators using the tools (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/9/10) referred to in decision VII/8, on monitoring and indicators, and according to their national needs and priorities, to assess progress towards their national/and or regional targets;

17. Emphasizes the need for capacity-building, especially in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and the small island developing States among them, and countries with economies in transition, in order to enable them to implement activities to achieve and monitor progress towards the goals and targets;

18. Invites Parties, Governments, international and funding organizations to provide adequate and timely support for the implementation of activities to achieve and monitor progress towards the goals and targets to developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, as appropriate;

19. Requests the Executive Secretary to continue to explore ways to expand active support for developing country Parties in particular least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, where appropriate, in the development, revision and implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans. This process should include the commitment and resources of civil society in the development and implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans;

20. Emphasizes that national biodiversity strategies and action plans, as the primary mechanisms for the implementation of the Convention and the Strategic Plan, should be developed or reviewed with due regard to the relevant aspects of the four goals of the Strategic Plan, and the goals established by this decision, to enable greater contribution to the achievement of the 2010 target, consistent with national needs and priorities; and invites Parties to incorporate the goals, as appropriate, into the national biodiversity strategies and action plans when these are revised;

21. Invites developed country Parties continue to provide support to developing country Parties, in particular least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition , as appropriate, to develop national-level indicators;

Review of implementation of the Convention

23. Recognizing the need to establish a process, for evaluating, reporting and reviewing the Strategic Plan 2002 2010, decides to allocate adequate time in subsequent meetings of the Conference of the Parties and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, as well as ad hoc open-ended Working Groups, as appropriate, and establishes an Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, subject to the availability of the necessary voluntary contributions, to consider progress in the implementation of the Convention and the Strategic Plan and achievements leading up to the 2010 target in line with the multi-year programme of work for the Conference of the Parties (decision VII/31), to review the impacts and effectiveness of existing processes under the Convention, such as meetings of the Conference of the Parties, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, national focal points and the Secretariat, as part of the overall process for improving the operations of the Convention and implementation of the Strategic Plan, and to consider ways and means of identifying and overcoming obstacles to the effective implementation of the Convention;

24. Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to submit views on these issues to the Executive Secretary, and requests the Executive Secretary to compile and make available these views for consideration by the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;

25. Requests the Executive Secretary to participate in processes arising from the twenty second session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme relating to consideration of the development and establishment of an intergovernmental strategic plan for implementation support, linked to the outcome of the international environmental governance process, to ensure that it will contribute to the implementation of the Convention;

26. Decides to address explicitly the need to provide focused support and improve existing support mechanisms where obstacles to implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans have been identified, particularly when considering the results of the evaluation of progress in achievement the goals and mission of the Strategic Plan as well as the goals and sub-targets established in this decision

27. Recognizing in the development of better methods to evaluate progress in the implementation of the Convention that consideration could be given to making full use of the experiences of other multilateral environmental agreements, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, requests the Executive Secretary to initiate action as a follow-up to paragraph 41 of decision V/20.