Notification 2020-062

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of this notification is to invite Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to provide comments and feedback on the draft report: “Making Money Local: Can Protected Areas Deliver Both Economic Benefits and Conservation Objectives” available at the following link: https://www.cbd.int/pa/doc/equilibrium-research-2020-making-money-local-en.pdf. The draft report was developed by Equilibrium Research, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, pursuant to COP decision XIII/2 (https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-13/cop-13-dec-02-en.pdf) on protected areas, in particular, paragraph 5 (a-e), as well as paragraph 10 of decision XI/24 (https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-11/cop-11-dec-24-en.pdf) which “Requests the Executive Secretary, in partnership with relevant organizations, subject to the availability of funding, to continue supporting implementation of national action plans for the programme of work and progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and other related targets at the national, sub-regional and regional levels”. The valuation and benefits of conservation, at local and national levels, are crucial elements in decision making needed to implement various commitments to achieve the key elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11. The report will therefore greatly contribute to the identification of the wider benefits of area-based conservation to society, including to food and water security, disaster risk reduction and human health, among others. It can also make the case for a strong post-2020 commitment to targets that retain existing natural ecosystems as vital contributors to a sustainable human society. In this regard, I would like to invite you to review the draft report and submit your feedback and comments to Equilibrium Research, via e-mail to: nigel@equilibriumresearch.com and sue@equilibriumresearch.com (please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail: “Benefits of Protected and Conserved Areas”), with a copy to: secretariat@cbd.int, as soon as convenient and no later than 15 September 2020. The information provided will be used to update and finalize the report, to be published as a CBD Technical Series and inform the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support to the Convention, as well as for your contribution towards progress in the qualitative elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and the achievement of this Target by 2020. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, PoWPA Focal Points, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant organizations