Notification 2008-157

Dear Madam/Sir, Following up on paragraphs 5 and 6 of decision IX/28, and as announced at the high-level segment of COP 9 (Bonn, Germany, May 2008) by the Minister of National Development of Singapore, H.E. Mr. Mah Bow Tan, the government of Singapore, through its National Parks Board (NParks), is organising the first Technical Expert Workshop on a City Biodiversity Index (CBI) in Singapore from 10 to 12 February 2009, in close cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. With the majority of the world’s population now living in urban ecosystems, the index will assist national governments and local authorities in benchmarking biodiversity conservation efforts in the urban context, help evaluate progress in reducing the rate of biodiversity loss in urban ecosystems, and help measure the ecological footprint of cities. It will be developed, tested and implemented within the framework of the 2010 biodiversity target and the evaluation of achievements of the CBD’s Strategic Plan, as per decision VII/30. Members of the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity, a collaborative platform recently launched at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, have been invited to nominate technical experts to participate in this workshop. Partner cities will be invited to test its applicability over 2009, and to report on results at the 2nd Technical Expert Panel Workshop on CBI, planned to take place in March 2010. The CBI will also be discussed at the Cities and Biodiversity Forum of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Nagoya, Japan, October 2010). For more information on the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity, please see http://www.cbd.int/authorities/photos.shtml. A draft concept paper on the CBI is available at http://www.cbd.int/authorities/Gettinginvolved.shtml. Also in line with decision IX/28 and in recognition of the critical role played by cities and local authorities in the Convention, Mayor Richa of Curitiba will be hosting a meeting on the development of the Cities and Biodiversity Plan of Action for 2010 and beyond, on 30 and 31 March 2009, in the host city. For more information about the Singapore and Curitiba meetings, as well as activities of the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity, please contact Oliver Hillel (oliver.hillel@cbd.int) or Chantal Robichaud (chantal.robichaud@cbd.int). Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points