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SBSTTA Recommendation

. In-depth review of the implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity

XIV/1.In-depth review of the implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice recommends that the Conference of the Parties adopt a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling paragraph 16 of General Assembly resolution 60/198 of 22 December 2005 and paragraph 26 of resolution 62/196 of 19 December 2007, in which the Assembly noted with satisfaction the adoption of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Also recalling paragraph 23 of General Assembly 64/205 of 21 December 2009, by which the Assembly invited States and other stakeholders to strengthen implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity through renewed political commitment and the establishment of appropriate multi-stakeholder institutional arrangements and mechanisms,

Status and trends of mountain biological diversity

1.Welcomes the progress made by the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) of DIVERSITAS in developing, in cooperation with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, a thematic mountain portal to make available geo-referenced databases and allow searches for primary biodiversity data in a mountain–specific context and invites GMBA and other relevant organizations to regularly update the thematic portal and make the information widely available in various formats;
2.Invites Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations and indigenous and local communities to collect and update information periodically, inter alia, for the use in the thematic portal to monitor the changes and disseminate information on:
(a)Mountain biological diversity including on sites of biological, ecological and socio economic importance, in particular the mountain biosphere reserves, on ecosystem services, on endangered and endemic species, and on genetic resources including in particular genetic resources for food and agriculture;
(b)Related traditional knowledge and cultural dimensions of mountain biodiversity;
(c)Direct and indirect drivers of change in mountain biodiversity, including, in particular, climate change and land-use change as well as tourism and sports activities;
(d)Use trends, including harvesting intensities of high value species, in particular native and endemic ones, and consequent changes in populations, habitats and ecosystem properties;

Programme element 1: Direct actions for conservation, sustainable use and benefit-sharing

3.Invites Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations and indigenous and local communities to:
(a)Enhance the effectiveness of management in existing mountain protected areas;
(b)Establish effectively and appropriately managed protected areas in line with the programme of work on protected areas to safeguard the highest priority key biodiversity areas in mountain ecosystems;
(c)Establish, inter alia, conservation corridors and connectivity, where appropriate, and possible and taking into account in particular endemic species, and transboundary mountain protected area systems, taking into account the need to integrate protected areas into wider landscapes;
4.Invites Parties and other Governments to consider the development and implementation of national and regional targets, as well as the development of the related indicators for assessing progress towards these targets, within their respective national biodiversity strategies and action plans, taking into account the Strategic Plan for 2011-2020 1 that addresses the direct drivers of biodiversity loss, including mountain biodiversity in an effort to reduce the pressures on biodiversity from habitat change, overexploitation, pollution, invasive alien species and climate change, and to safeguard and restore mountain biodiversity and related ecosystem services, given their potential to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, for assessing progress towards these targets;
5.Encourages Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations and indigenous and local communities, to address climate-change and adaptation and mitigation issues for mountain biodiversity, taking into account the recommendations on the in-depth review of work on biodiversity and climate change (see UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/14/6) by:
(a)Developing and implementing measures for the in situ conservation of mountain biodiversity and its components as appropriate ex situ conservation of genetic resources and species currently and potentially under threat from climate change;
(b)Undertaking measures, where appropriate, to reduce deforestation and restore degraded mountain forest ecosystems, conserve carbon in the mountain soil ,including in peatlands and wetlands in order to enhance the role of mountains as natural carbon and water regulators and other important ecosystems services;
(c)Developing, strengthening and implementing policies favourable to the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biological diversity and all its components to reduce the impact of climate change on mountain biodiversity and related traditional knowledge, enhance resilience and address unsustainable agriculture practices;
(d)Supporting and coordinating research and monitoring networks of global change impacts in mountain regions, through observation of natural processes, ecosystem services and biological diversity;
(e)Undertaking environmental and strategic assessment of renewable energy planning, as a part of mitigation strategies in mountain areas and to reduce their impacts on mountain biodiversity;
6.Invites relevant organizations and initiatives such as, among many others, the IUCN WCPA mountains biome programme to assist countries in their programmes and projects relating to climate change;
7.Requests Parties to promote maintenance of biodiversity and improvement of agriculture, ranching and forest activities compatible with sustainable mountain development;

Programme element 2: Means of implementation for conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing:

8.Invites Parties and other Governments with mountain systems within their jurisdiction to consider the adoption of a long-term vision and ecosystem approaches to the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biological diversity by developing specific actions, timetables and capacity-building needs for the implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity and where appropriate integrating them with revised national biodiversity strategies and action plans in line with the revised Strategic Plan, as well as with overall sustainable development strategies in mountain regions;
9.Encourages Parties to use existing or establish national committees and multi-stakeholder institutional arrangements and mechanisms at national and regional levels to enhance intersectoral coordination and collaboration for sustainable mountain development as called for in paragraph 15 of General Assembly resolution 62/196 and linking them to the implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity;
10.Invites Parties to cooperate in developing regional strategies on animals that could cause conflict with humans in particular large predators;
11.Encourages Parties, where possible and appropriate, to develop and implement regional collaboration strategies and action plans for the conservation of mountain biodiversity, with assistance from international and regional organizations as needed and when requested and agreed by all Parties concerned in such collaboration;
12.Encourages Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to develop upland-lowland interactions, with aim to strengthening the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity and the well-being of people through the provision of ecosystem services;
13.Invites the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Consorcio para el Desarrollo de la Ecoregion Andina (CONDESAN), the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions, and the Andean high plateau project and other relevant initiatives to strengthen their involvement in formulating regional strategies, to work closely with countries when receiving requests from countries and to help in the implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity;
14.Invites the Mountain Partnership, the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) and other initiatives to promote enhanced implementation of the programme of work on mountain biological diversity in close collaboration with Parties and organizations bearing in mind paragraph 23 of General Assembly resolution 64/205;
15.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations in line with the objectives of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, and other relevant initiatives to restore and enhance the conservation status of native mountain plant and animal genetic resources by providing economic and other incentives, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, for the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biological diversity;

Programme element 3: Supporting actions for conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing

16.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to develop and implement national, regional and global communication programmes, educational and awareness raising programmes highlighting the economic, ecological and social benefits of the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biological diversity for human well being and for the provision of ecosystem services to mountain dwellers and also to lowland communities;
17.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to develop and implement mountain-to-mountain cooperation programmes for the exchange of best practices, expertise, information sharing and appropriate technologies;
18.Urges Parties, and encourages other Governments and relevant organizations, with the collaboration of the scientific community, relevant intergovernmental organizations and mountain communities, to study the effects of climate change as well as the effects of adaptation and mitigation measures on mountain environments and biological diversity, in order to elaborate sustainable adaptation and mitigation strategies;
19.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to develop research programmes for conservation and sustainable use of mountain biological diversity.
20.Requests the Executive Secretary to:
(a)Enhance collaboration and partnership with organizations, initiatives, regional conventions to support the Parties in their implementation of the programme of work on mountain biodiversity and related decisions; and
(b)Disseminate information, best practices, tools and resources relating to mountain biodiversity through the clearing-house mechanism and other means.

1 This text needs to be revised in accordance with the language of the draft Strategic Plan.