Notification 2005-065

Dear Madam/Sir, Further to our Notification No. 2005-017 dated 16 February 2005, this is to inform you of the exact dates of the meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Biodiversity and Climate Change, which will take place from 13 to 16 September 2005 in Helsinki, Finland. At its tenth meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 7 to 11 February 2005, SBSTTA decided, in its recommendation X/13 (annexed to the present notification), to establish an AHTEG on Biodiversity and Climate Change. In particular, SBSTTA decided that the focus of the AHTEG should be on adaptation to climate change. The AHTEG shall complete its work in time for the eleventh meeting of SBSTTA scheduled for November 2005. __________________________________________________ SBSTTA recommendation X/13. Climate change: terms of reference of an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, Recalling paragraph 14 of decision VII/15, in which the Conference of the Parties requested the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, as the next stage of its work on the interlinkages between biodiversity and climate change to develop for consideration of the Conference of the Parties advice or guidance for promoting synergy among activities to address climate change at the national, regional and international level where appropriate, including activities to combat desertification and land degradation, and activities for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, Also recalling paragraph 15 of decision VII/15, inviting the conferences of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to collaborate with the Convention on Biological Diversity through the Joint Liaison Group, as appropriate, in developing guidance to Parties in implementing activities that are mutually supportive of the objectives of the three Rio conventions at the local, subnational and national levels, Recognizing that the Conference of the Parties, in its decision VII/30 on the Strategic Plan, decided to develop a framework to enhance the evaluation of achievements and progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan, that includes activities aimed at maintaining and enhancing resilience of the components of biodiversity to adapt to climate change, Recognizing also that the report Interlinkages between Biological Diversity and Climate Change: Advice on the Integration of Biodiversity Considerations into the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol (CBD Technical Series No. 10) focuses on the links to, and impacts on, biodiversity in relation to mitigation options but assesses, to a lesser extent, the integration of, and impacts on, biodiversity into adaptation activities, Decides to establish an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change on the basis of the following terms of reference in order to start addressing decision VII/15: 1. Drawing on the report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biological Diversity and Climate Change (CBD Technical Series no. 10) / and other relevant documents including the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, and guided by relevant outcomes from the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and on other material as appropriate, and by decisions VII/15 on biodiversity and climate change and VII/26 on cooperation with other conventions and international organizations, the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group will: (a) Undertake a supplementary assessment on the integration of biodiversity considerations in the implementation of adaptation activities to climate change at the local, subnational, national, subregional, regional, and international levels, whenever appropriate drawing on case-studies and seeking also to identify and avoid duplication in activities between the Rio conventions. In particular, the assessment shall contemplate: (i) The identification of the major biological factors that contribute to ecosystem resilience under the current and projected impacts of climate change, and the identification of particular adaptation activities carried out under the current thematic areas of the Convention: agricultural biodiversity, dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity, forest biodiversity, inland waters biodiversity, marine and coastal biodiversity, mountain biodiversity, and island biodiversity; (ii) The potential consequences for biodiversity of those particular adaptation activities, taking into account, but not limited to, technical and technological interventions, highlighting gaps in current scientific knowledge and identifying research needs; and (iii) The role of biodiversity as an adaptation element by itself; (b) Based on existing work, including the information contained in the report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biological Diversity and Climate Change (CBD Technical Series No. 10) and the above supplementary assessment, as well as other relevant sources referred to in the chapeau to the present paragraph, prepare advice or guidance under the thematic areas of the Convention, for use at local, national, regional and international level as appropriate, for planning and/or implementing activities to address adaptation to climate change and that interlink across climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and land degradation and desertification. The draft advice or guidance may include relevant tools and technologies, including those under the Convention, and take into account traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communities, on the integration of biodiversity considerations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects aimed at addressing climate change. Duration of work The work of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group should be initiated as soon as possible and completed on time for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its eleventh meeting.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points