THE Convention on Biological Diversity has 192 parties and was entered into force as an international convention on December 29, 1993.

Jamaica acceded to the convention in 1995 and developed its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 2003. The convention is the first international agreement that highlights the conservation of biodiversity as a common concern of humankind and an integral part of a country’s development.

Convention goals

* The conservation of biodiversity

* Sustainable use of the components of biodiversity

* Sharing the benefits arising from the commercial and other utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.

In April 2002, parties of the convention committed that by 2010, there would a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level to sustain life on earth, and reduce the impact of climate change, thus resulting in poverty alleviation.

The convention requires that each party submits a national report on the status of the implementation of the convention. These reports help to assess the effectiveness of the measures, which are used to implement the objectives of the convention.

Each national report provides a clear indication of what targets have been achieved. Jamaica has to date submitted its first and second report, finalised the third and has commenced preparations of the fourth, which is expected to be completed by June 2010.

Twenty-one objectives have been identified for the 2010 biodiversity target established by the convention. These relate to the convention’s seven thematic areas, notably:

* island biodiversity;

* agriculture biodiversity;

* inland Waters Biodiversity;

* forest biodiversity,

* mountain biodiversity,

* dry and sub-humid lands biodiversity; and

* coastal and marine biodiversity.

— National Environment and Planning Agency