Notification 2011-121

Dear Madam/Sir, In decision X/37, paragraph 14, the Conference of the Parties invited Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to submit to the Executive Secretary experiences and results from assessments of the impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socioeconomic conditions, as well as activities identified in paragraphs 7, 8, and 9, to support the actions requested to the Executive Secretary in paragraph 13 and requests the Executive Secretary to make such experiences and results available to Parties through the clearing-house mechanism, and to report on the activities requested in paragraph 13 to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice prior to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Please note that the relevant paragraphs of decision X/37 are annexed to this notification. I hereby invite Parties, other Governments and relevant organisations to submit any relevant information, in any appropriate form, to the Secretariat at secretariat@cbd.int or by mail, with the subject title "Notification – Biofuels and Biodiversity"). Submissions will be accepted at any time but not later than 30 September 2011 to be useful as information for the sixteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-16). Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. Annex Relevant paragraphs of decision X/37 For your information the relevant paragraphs of decision X/37 referred to in this notification are as follows (the full decision text is available at: https://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=12303): 7. Invites Parties, acknowledging different national conditions, other Governments and relevant organizations, bearing in mind ecosystem functions and services, to: (a) Develop, national inventories so as to identify areas of high biodiversity value, critical ecosystems, and areas important to indigenous and local communities; and (b) Assess and identify areas and, where appropriate, ecosystems that could be used in, or exempted from, the production of biofuels; so as to assist policy-makers in applying appropriate conservation measures and identifying areas deemed inappropriate for biofuel feedstock production, to promote the positive and minimize or avoid the negative impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity, with the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities and stakeholders, applying relevant impact assessments; 8. Invites Parties, acknowledging different national conditions, other Governments and relevant organizations to elaborate supportive measures to promote the positive and minimize or avoid the negative impacts of the production and use of biofuels on biodiversity and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socio-economic conditions, taking into account paragraph 3 of decision IX/2 of the Conference of the Parties and the tools and guidance there contained; 9. Encourages Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to address impacts of the production and use of biofuels on biodiversity and the services it provides, and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socio-economic conditions, in developing and implementing land-use and water policies and other relevant policies and/or strategies, in particular by addressing direct and indirect land use and water use changes affecting, amongst others, areas of high value for biodiversity and areas of cultural, religious and heritage interest and indigenous and local communities; 11. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of financial resources, to: (a) Compile, analyse and summarize information on tools for voluntary use, including on available standards and methodologies to assess direct and indirect effects and impacts on biodiversity of the production and use of biofuels, in their full life cycle as compared to that of other types of fuels, and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socio-economic conditions; (b) Carry out this work taking into account the work of, and in collaboration with, relevant partner organizations and processes, such as, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Energy Initiative, the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, the International Energy Agency, the Global Bio-Energy Partnership and other relevant organizations and multi-stakeholder initiatives, in order to reduce duplication of efforts. This work should take into account the outcomes of the regional workshops, and build on relevant decisions taken and guidance developed by the Convention on Biological Diversity; © Disseminate and facilitate access to the summarised information on tools through the clearing-house mechanism and other relevant means in order to assist Parties, the business sector and relevant stakeholders in applying ways and means to promote the positive and minimise or avoid the negative impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socioeconomic conditions; 12. Requests the Executive Secretary to compile information on gaps in available standards and methodologies identified in the work undertaken in paragraph 11 above and bring it to the attention of relevant organizations and processes and report on progress to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties; 13. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to availability of resources, consistent with the mandate of decision IX/2 of the Conference of the Parties, and taking into account paragraph 2 (b) of decision IX/5 of the Conference of the Parties, on forest biodiversity, as well as the results of ongoing thorough scientific assessment, to contribute to and assist with the ongoing work of relevant partner organizations and processes, as listed in paragraph 11 (b) above, to promote the positive and minimize or avoid the negative impacts of the production and use of biofuel and biomass for energy on biodiversity and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socioeconomic conditions; 14. Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to submit to the Executive Secretary experiences and results from assessments of the impacts of biofuel production and use on biodiversity and impacts on biodiversity that affect related socioeconomic conditions, as well as activities identified in paragraphs 7, 8, and 9 above, to support the actions requested to the Executive Secretary in paragraph 13 above and requests the Executive Secretary to make such experiences and results available to Parties through the clearing-house mechanism, and to report on the activities requested in paragraph 13 above to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice prior to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

Executive Secretary

To: CBD national focal points, SBSTTA focal points and relevant Organisations