The sixteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 16) was held from 30 April to 5 May 2012 at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada.
SBSTTA discussed the following items:
- Ways and means to improve the effectiveness of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice in light of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and issues, modalities and options for collaboration with the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES).
- Global Biodiversity Outlook: preparation of the fourth edition.
- Island biodiversity: in-depth review of the implementation of the programme of work.
- Marine and coastal biodiversity:
- Ecologically or biologically significant marine areas;
- Addressing adverse impacts of human activities on marine and coastal biodiversity, including coral bleaching, ocean acidification, fisheries, and underwater noise;
- Marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and voluntary guidelines for the consideration of biodiversity in environmental assessments in marine and coastal areas.
- Biodiversity and climate change:
- Advice on the application of relevant REDD+ safeguards for biodiversity, and on possible indicators and potential mechanisms to monitor or assess impacts of REDD+ measures on biodiversity;
- Integration of biodiversity considerations into climate change-related activities, including addressing gaps in knowledge and information;
- Geo-engineering: impacts on biodiversity and gaps in regulatory mechanisms.
- Global Strategy for Plant Conservation: progress in implementing decision X/17.
- Global Taxonomy Initiative: revised draft comprehensive capacity-building strategy.
- New and emerging issues.
- Biofuels and biodiversity: progress in implementing decision X/37.
- Incentive measures: progress in implementing decision X/44.
- Reports on collaborative work in the areas of agriculture, forests and health.
For in-depth detail on these items, please see the
Annotated Agenda