More than sixteen years after UNCTAD launched the BioTrade Initiative with the aim of promoting trade and investment in biodiversity as a means of furthering sustainable development, a number of countries, regions and national and international stakeholders have made remarkable progress in embracing BioTrade concepts and principles as integral parts of their strategies. BioTrade is currently implementing 8 national programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands (CDF) is an international not-for-profit organization that provides scientific research and technical information and assistance to ensure the proper preservation of the Galapagos Islands.

CDF carries out its activities in Galapagos under a conservation research and guidance agreement with the Ecuadorian government. The Foundation is part of a network of local and national organizations supporting Galapagos Island protection. For fifty years, CDF has worked closely with the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), the main government authority overseeing the safeguarding of the islands’ natural resources, providing the results of scientific research to conserve this living laboratory.

The Law aims to ensure the control and limitation of projects and activities that could be potentially harmful to the environment. It details the actions to be taken by national authorities as well as stipulating the requirements of environmental impact assessment for all projects and developments that pose an environmental risk. The impact assessment is to estimate the effects of the work on the human population, biodiversity, soil, air, water, landscape, and the structure and function of the ecosystem. The assessment is to also include considerations of historic and cultural heritage. Participation of the general public is mandated.