IFRI: New Environment Report

Institut Français des Relations Internationales's (Ifri) new publication “Global Governance of Biodiversity: New Perspectives on a Shared Challenge” aims to provide a first mapping of the global governance of biodiversity, through an investigation of the interactions between various actors, institutions, norms, tools and processes that structure it. Full text

UNCSD (Rio+20): Information material

The UNCSD Secretariat has launched a biweekly newsletter titled "Rio20: Making it Happen". It lists the recent and upcoming intergovernmental meetings related to UNCSD preparations, as well as recently published documents.

LRTAP: 28th Executive Body Meeting

The scope of LRTAP was expanded during the last meeting of the Executive Body from 13-17 December, 2010 where the Parties adopted a Long Term Strategy for implementation and its  work plan for the next 10 years and beyond. They also decided to include specific provisions for the revision of the Gothenburg Protocol, which will include black carbon as a component of particular matter. This will make the Convention the first international agreement to tackle a short lived climate forcer in the context of air pollution on a policy level. Decisions

Aral Sea: 3rd basin programme for 2011-2015

The Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea reviewed the draft 3rd Aral Sea basin programme for 2011-2015 during a meeting on 15 December, 2010. UNECE Press Release

Nagoya Protocol

The text of the Nagoya Protocol has been posted online in three languages (English, French, Spanish) by ECOLEX: the gateway to environmental law.

ICCAT: Catch Measures adopted

The 17th Extraordinary Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) took place from 17-27 November in Paris, France, bringing together over 500 delegates from 35 contracting parties. The Commission reviewed the status of tuna stocks and by caught species, including sharks and turtles, in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The contracting parties adopted: new management measures for bigeye and bluefin tunas and North Atlantic swordfish, as well as for the conservation of sharks and sea turtles that are taken as by catch and improved measures for monitoring, surveillance and control. Recommendations

FAO: Policy for engaging with Indigenous Communities

FAO has developed a guidance document titled "FAO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples," aimed to guide systematic and responsible engagement with indigenous peoples and their organizations. Priority areas of work identified as the basis for greater collaboration include:
- Natural resources, environment and genetic resources;
- Climate change and bioenergy;
- Land and territories;
- Food security, nutrition and the right to food;
- Communication and knowledge systems;
- Cultural and biological diversity; and
- Economic opportunity for sustainable livelihoods.

Go to: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/newsroom/docs/FAO_policy.pdf

CMS: Future Shape

The three-phase process to lay out a future strategy of the CMS Family continues. The 37^th Standing Committee reviewed the work undertaken during the 2^nd phase and provided inputs to the Working Group as it seeks to develop three scenarios for a future strategy to be considered by COP-10. See: http://www.cms.int/bodies/future_shape/future_shape_mainpage.htm

IUCN: Global Ocean Protection

This new publication by IUCN seeks to assist in the collective effort to find new and better solutions to address the various threats to the marine biological diversity and productivity. It provides evidence-based recommendations on improving and accelerating actions on delivering ocean protection and management through marine protected areas and facilitates the sharing of experiences and lessons learned. Go to: http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2010-053.pdf

Norway: Nature Diversity Act

After coming into force on 1 July, 2009, the Norwegian government has produced an English translation of its "Nature Diversity Act" The purpose of the Act is “...to protect biological, geological and landscape diversity and ecological processes through conservation and sustainable use,...”.Available at: www.regjeringen.no/en/doc/laws/Acts/nature-diversity-at.html?id=570549.

INTERPOL: Environmental Crime Resolution

Police agencies of the world have supported INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme with delegates attending INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Doha, Qatar voting unanimously in favour of a resolution encouraging greater global policing efforts.The resolution calls upon national law enforcement authorities to recognize that “environmental crime is not restricted by borders and involves organized crime networks which engage in other crime types including murder, corruption, fraud and theft”. It notes that there is a vital need for a global response and that INTERPOL should play a leading role in supporting national and international enforcement. ‘Environmental crime’ encompasses activities ranging from illegal trade in wildlife, timber and marine species, to transborder movements of hazardous waste, and the illicit exploitation of natural resources. Resolution

UNEP: Free publications online

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has made 380 of its publications freely available online through the Biodiversity Heritage Library, a non-profit consortium. UNEP-WCMC publications

EU: Commission Guidelines on Wind Energy in Protected Areas

The European Commission has produced new guidelines aimed at avoiding conflict between wind energy development and biodiversity conservation in Natura 2000 protected areas. They highlight the importance of strategic planning and the need for good quality appropriate assessment of new developments. The guidelines contain examples of best practice, and show how wind energy developments can avoid damage to nature sensitive areas. Wind energy developments and Natura 2000

InforMEA

InforMea is an online collection of the 12 Global Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) designed to facilitate continued exchange of knowledge management activities of the MEA’s for the benefit the Parties and the environmental community as a whole. Overseen by UNEP, InforMEA was the first project established by this initiative. It establishes agreed to information exchange standards and aggregates data and information harvested from participating MEAs, including: COP/MOP Decisions, Resolutions and Recommendations, News and Events, Calendars, contact details of National Focal Points and Official Documents.

ICJ: Australia v. Japan

The International Court of Justice has fixed time-limits or the filing of the initial pleadings in the case concerning Whaling in the Arctic (Australia v. Japan). Australia has until 9 May 2011 to file a Memorial and Japan will have until 9 March 2012 to file a Counter-Memorial. The history of the proceedings can be found in Press Release No. 2010/16 of 1 June 2010 at www.icj-cij.org.

ICJ: Whaling in the Antarctic

Australia instituted proceedings before the ICJ on 1 June, 2010 alleging that:

“Japan's continued pursuit of a large scale programme of whaling under the 2^nd Phase of its Japanese Whale Research Programme under Special Permit in the Antarctic (“JARPA”) [is] in breach of obligations assumed by Japan under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), as well as its other international obligations for the preservation of marine mammals and marine environment.”

See press release No. 2010/16 at www.icj-cij.org for more details.