Notification 2010-042

Dear Madam/Sir, Decision IX/13 E, paragraph 7 on Article 8(j) and related provisions, requested the Executive Secretary to convene, subject to the availability of financial resources, further regional and sub-regional workshops on community-friendly communication tools on traditional knowledge related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The series on “Indigenous Communities, Tourism and Biodiversity: New Information and Web-based Technologies” began in November 2007 with the Arctic Region workshop in Quebec, Canada, and was followed in November 2008 by the Pacific Region workshop in Apia, Samoa. The reports are available, respectively, at: www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/tour/wstouridg-01/official/wstouridg-01-02-en.doc and www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/tour/wstouridg-02/official/wstouridg-02-02-en.doc. As per Notification 2009-114 (Ref.: SCBD/SEL/OH/cr/cm/68036) dated 15 September 2009, and thanks to the generous financial contribution of the government of Spain, I am pleased to inform Parties of the selection of representatives of indigenous and local communities to receive financial assistance in order to participate in the third workshop, with a focus on forests in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. The workshop was made possible by the support of Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The workshop will take place in Panama City, Panama, from 6 to 8 April 2010. Invitations to nominated participants in the workshop were sent to countries of the LAC region. Participants from the region will receive funding to travel to and/or participate in the workshop and an additional number of selected experts will participate at their own expenses. Funding has been allocated to the participants listed in Annex 1 according to the following criteria: • The participants must come from a country of the Latin America and Caribbean region; • Participants are indigenous or local community leaders in tourism from the region as entrepreneurs, policymakers or advisors, and active in existing and functioning tourism operations. The tourism products they manage include areas with significant biodiversity (parks, community or private protected areas in forest ecosystems); • Participants, and their constituents or representatives, should have access to Internet and use the Web for information, marketing, and networking; and • Participants can disseminate the methodology and results of the workshop within existing networks and their region of origin, after the workshop. Geographical balance, gender, cost of transportation, and significance of indigenous tourism in each area, were also used as additional criteria. Funded participants will be contacted directly by the Secretariat with regards to travel arrangements. I look forward to hearing about your interest in contributing to this global initiative and upcoming events. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, Indigenous and Local Community Organizations