The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) decided, in recommendation VI/5, to test a range of methods and modalities for assessments and to advance assessment on the following priority issues:

• The status and trends of forest biological diversity;
• Socio-economic and ecological impacts of invasive alien species on island and on inland water ecosystems;
• Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change.

SBSTTA further decided to

• Develop rapid assessment methods for the biodiversity of inland water ecosystems and for marine and coastal biological diversity.

Document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/10/7 reviews methods and modalities for these assessments and recommends a number of steps for pilot assessments initiated by SBSTTA.

Status and trends of forest biological diversity

• Summary report of the review of the status and trends of, and threats to, forest biological diversity, and options and priority actions for a programme of work
• Status and trends of, and major threats to, forest biological diversity
• Matrices used in defining options and priority actions for conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity
• CBD Technical Series No. 7 - Review of the status and trends of, and threats to, forest biological diversity

Socio-economic and ecological impacts of invasive alien species on island and on inland water ecosystems

• Ecological and socio-economic impact of invasive alien species on island ecosystems
• Ecological and socio-economic impact of invasive alien species on inland water ecosystems

Interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change

• Review of the interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change, and advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol
• Report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change
• CBD Technical Series No. 10 - Review of the interlinkages between biological diversity and climate change, and advice on the integration of biodiversity considerations into the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol

Rapid assessment methods for the biodiversity of inland water ecosystems and for marine and coastal biological diversity

• Methods and regional guidelines for the rapid assessment of inland water biodiversity for different types of inland water ecosystems
• Report of the expert meeting on methods and guidelines for the rapid assessment of biological diversity of inland water ecosystems
• Methods for rapid assessment of marine and coastal biological diversity
• CBD Technical Series No. 22 - Guidelines for the Rapid Ecological Assessment of Biodiversity in Inland Water, Coastal and Marine Areas (published jointly with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat)

Next: Steps for Assessments