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World Conservation Union teams up with the Convention on Biological Diversity

Monday, July 16, 2007
Posted in Environment | Tagged Environment

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD).

The memorandum will help implement the Message from Paris, which aims to raise awareness of the link between biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. It will work on two levels; at policy level, to keep biodiversity high on the agenda, and at an implementation level, to ensure biodiversity conservation is put into practice on the ground.

On a policy level, IUCN and the SCBD will develop a common message to raise awareness in developing countries and the donor community on the contribution of biodiversity to development goals. They will also support dialogue between the environmental and the development communities, to better implement biodiversity in overseas aid. Finally, they will collaborate at major events and on key issues, such as the role of biodiversity in the Millennium Development Goals.

On a practical level, IUCN will create a partnership with the SCBD to implement the Poverty
Reduction and Environmental Governance Initiative. This includes helping to mainstream biodiversity into development policies and strategies, targeting specific regional organizations, such as the African Union.

IUCN will also form a partnership with the SCBD on island biodiversity and climate change, and innovative financial mechanisms, which support long-term sustainable management of natural resources.

The memorandum was signed on July 11 by Ahmed Djoghalf, Executive Secretary of the SCBD, and Tamas Marghescu, on behalf of IUCN’s Director General Julia Marton-Lef�vre.

http://www.iucn.org/en/news/archive/2007/07/11_scbd.htm