Alps: Land Management

The current issue Alpine Research is running a feature on land management. Questions raised by the authors include what instruments are available to Alpine local authorities for land management and for weighing up private and public interests? Are new legal instruments required or a better co-operation between local authorities and the regions?

Challenges for Mountian Regions: New Publication

The Institute for Mountain Research at Innsbruck University (Austria) has published a book on man and the environment in mountain areas titled: Challenges for Mountain Regions - Tackling Complexity. Besides the Alps it also examines mountain areas in the Andes and Patagonia.

IUCN: Eastern Himalaya Freshwater Ecosystems

A recent study carried out by IUCN and Zoo Outreach Organisation, entitled "The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in the Eastern Himalaya," emphasized the need for extensive new research on freshwater species in the Eastern Himalaya region.

Report "World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011"

The UN has launched a report fiding that fiscal policies, in tandem with income and structural policies, will need to be reoriented to foster job creation and green growth.

Botwana: Judgement on Kalahari Bushmen's access to water

Survival International reports an important victory for the Kalahari bushmen in Botswana in their court case involving the right to water. 

In a momentous decision, Botswana’s Court of Appeal today quashed a ruling that denied the Kalahari Bushmen access to water on their ancestral lands.

With support from Survival, the Bushmen appealed a 2010 High Court judgment that prevented them from accessing a well which they rely on for water. The panel of five Appeal Court judges has found that:

·       the Bushmen have the right to use their old borehole, which the government had banned them from using

·       the Bushmen have the right to sink new boreholes

·       the government’s conduct towards the Bushmen amounted to ‘degrading treatment’.

·       the government must pay the Bushmen’s costs in bringing the appeal.

The full text of the final appellate judgement can be found at: http://assets.survivalinternational.org/documents/545/bushmen-water-appeal-judgement-jan-2011.pdf

Instrument on Mercury: 2nd session of the INC

The 2nd session of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury agreed to negotiate the new treaty based on an elements paper prepared by the Secretariat (UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/INC.2/3), and offered initial responses to the paper element-by-element. By the end of the week-long meeting, delegates had achieved a full first reading of the elements paper, and mandated the Secretariat to prepare a new draft text, taking into account discussions at INC-2, for further negotiation at INC-3, scheduled to convene in October 2011.

Further information and documentation available at: http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/Negotiations/INC2/tabid/3468/Default.aspx

FAO/COFI: 29th Session

The 29th session of the FAO Council's Committee on Fisheries (COFI) will take place from 31 January - 4 February 2011, in Rome (Italy). Further Information 

LDC-IV: PrepCom-1

The 1st session of the Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 4th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) took place from 10-14 January 2011, at UN/HQ. The meeting adopted the draft report of its session (A/CONF.219/IPC/L.1). Conference Website

The second PrepCom will take place from 4-8 April 2011.

LDC-IV will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 9-13 May 2011.

EU Protected Area Network Enlarged

The network of protected areas of the EU - Natura 2000 - has been enlarged to include 739 new sites covering nearly 27,000 square kilometres with more than half of the area added comprising marine sites, mainly in France, Denmark and Spain. More Details

UNDP: Biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean

A new UNDP report titled "Latin America and the Caribbean: A Biodiversity Superpower" aims to inform policy-makers and businesses  about the economic risks and opportunities of undertaking productive activities that impact on and are influenced by biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is a tool to assist governments and stakeholders in analyzing the role of ecosystem services in order to incorporate these services into economic planning, policy and investment at the sectoral level.

FAO: Forests and Climate Change in the Near East

FAO has released a Working Paper with several recommendations, including: establishing a regional network of pilot projects on forest adaptation measures; developing more flexible policies and legal frameworks to restore and adapt communal management systems and forest property regimes; and developing effective forest landscape restoration and afforestation plans. It further recommends that climate change adaptation and mitigation be integrated in all development strategies and policies.

CBD: Guidance for 5th National Report

The CBD Secretariat has issued a notification encouraging Parties to initiate work as early as possible on the updating of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) for the preparation of the 5th National Report.

FAO: Guidelines on Fisheries Discard

FAO has released the International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards, which will now be submitted to the Committee on Fisheries for endorsement when it meets in Rome (Italy)from 31 January-4 February 2011.

WTO: Trade and Environment

An informal meeting of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Committee on Trade and Environment in Special Session (CTESS) met on 10-14 January 2011 where members reviewed the various proposals on the table covering the Doha mandate related to environment. Press Release

SPREP: State of Marine Biodiversity

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has released a report, titled "Outlook Report on the State of the Marine Biodiversity in the Pacific Islands Region,"

FAO/ITPGR: 4th Session of Governing Body

A webpage cotaining meeting documents has been launched in preparation for the 4th session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) to be  held from 14-18 March 2011, in Bali (Indonesia). It will be preceded by two days of regional consultations, from 12-13 March 2011. In addition, the Government of Indonesia has called for a high-level ministerial conference, to be held on 11 March 2011.

CBD Bureau Minutes

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated the minutes of the first meeting of the Bureau elected at COP-10) held on 19 December 2010.

World Bank: Linking Natural Resource Management and Wealth of Nations

As part of an initiative by World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick called the Global Partnership for Ecosystems Valuation and Wealth Accounting, the World Bank has released a book titled "The Changing Wealth of Nations," The book contends that most countries are relatively highly dependent on natural capital initially, and the ones that progress most successfully are those that manage their assets for the long term and reinvest in human and social capital as well as in building strong institutions and systems of governance.

International Forest Governance Report

The Global Forest Expert Panel on the International Forest Regime has released its assessment report  titled "Embracing Complexity: Meeting the Challenges of International Forest Governance,". The report and a policy brief will be presented at UNFF-9 on February 2.

European Commission: Sustainable Growth Initiative

The EC has launched "A resource-efficient Europe: Flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy," which sets out its views on a strategic framework towards  more sustainable use of natural resources and the shift towards resource-efficient, low-carbon growth in Europe. Publication: A Resource-Efficient Europe: Flagship Initiative Under the Europe 2020 Strategy

Journal of Environment and Development: December 2010

The newest issue of The Journal of Environment and Development includes the following articles:

The Usefulness of Sustainability Indicators for Policy Making in Developing Countries: The Case of Madagascar - Timothée Ollivier and Pierre-Noël Giraud

The Political Economy of Wildlife Conservation and Decline in Kenya - Ngeta Kabiri

The Use and Management of Mangrove Ecosystems in Pakistan - Bhim Adhikari, Saima Pervaiz Baig, and Usman Ali Iftikhar
See: http://www.journalenvdev.com/

Carpathian Convention: Implementation Committee

A meeting of the Implementation Committee of the Carpathian Convention (CCIC) took place on 17-18 January, 2011 in Vienna (Austria). Information and documentation is posted at: http://www.carpathianconvention.org/framework/CCIC-2011-01-17_18.htm

UNEP: Editorial from Achim Steiner regarding climate change

In an editorial published on UNEP's website, UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner stresses that the world is witnessing an extraordinary mobilization of national-level projects and policies that are shifting economies onto a low-carbon path.

SIDS Newsletter: December 2010

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Unit has released the 8th issue of its "SIDS Newsletter."  It elaborates follow-up activities to the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI+5) and includes articles on: the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun; the upcoming CSD-19, and SIDS preparations for UNCSD (Rio+20).

Argentina assumes chairmanship of G-77/China from Yemen

The topics of environment and sustainable development were afforded a good deal of attention in statements by the outgoing and incoming chairs of the G-77/China during the handover ceremony on 12 January, 2011.

SPREP: 21st Meeting

The SPREP Secretariat has published the report of the 21st SPREP Meeting, held from 6-9 September 2010 in Madang (Papua New Guinea). It includes the Madang Communiqué adopted at the meeting, according to which SPREP members adopted the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan as the guiding document for regional environmental work, including by SPREP, with four priorities on climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem management, waste management and pollution prevention, and environmental monitoring and governance.

Sustainable Development at the top of UN Secretary-General's priorities for 2011

During an address to the UN General Assembly on 14 January 2011, Ban Ki-moon identified his priorities for 2011.

UNCSD (Rio+20): UN Regional Commissions Calendar

In preparation for the UNCSD (Rio+20) process, a comprehensive regional calendar of meetings leading up to the Conference was prepared and shared among all the UN Regional Commissions at a meeting of the Executive Secretaries of the UN Regional Commissions hosted by the ECLAC in Santiago (Chile) from 13-14 January 2011.

ECOSOC 2011 session

The 1st organizational meeting of the Economic and Social Council’s 2011 session took place on 18 January at UN/HQ. The Council elected its new President, Lazarous Kapambwe (Zambia),  as well as four Vice-Presidents: Abulkalam Abdul Momen (Bangladesh); Miloš Koterec (Slovakia); Gonzalo Gutiérrez (Peru); and Jan Grauls (Belgium). Press Release featuring highlights and statement.

UNFCCC/COP-16: Bolivia contests outcome

There has been a great deal of media coverage regarding the position of the Plurinational State of Bolivia that the international principle of consensus was abandoned when UNFCCC COP-16 adopted its outcomes in spite of the country's objections. Ambassador, Pablo Salon, Permanent Representative to the United Nations was recently quoted in a number of publications saying "We will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice in the Hague against the text approved in Cancun". An Op-ed by Amb. Salon appeared recently in the Guardian.

UNCSD (Rio+20): Report from 1st Intersessional

IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced a summary and analysis from this meeting, which took place on 10-11 January 2011 at UN/HQ.

Go to: http://www.iisd.ca/uncsd/ism1/



Co-Chair John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda)

 

Narinder Kakar, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

ESPOO: Implementation Committee

The 20^th session took place from 11-13 January. The Committee inter alia reviewed Members' strategies to fully implement recommendations from the MOP, considered replies regarding specific compliance issues, and finalized preparations for the upcoming MOP-5, to be held from 20-24 June 2011. The Agenda and Report are posted here.

UNESCO: Congo's World Heritage Sites

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and UNESCO organized a high-level meeting in Kinshasa on 14 January 2011, to discuss ways of strengthening protection of the five DRC sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Director-General and the Prime Minister signed the Kinshasa Declaration. Press Release

UN/DOALOS: State of the Marine Environment

DOALOS has updated its page on the regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects (regular process). Documents for the General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole from 14-18 February, 2011 will be posted here as soon as they are available.

CMS: South American grasslands conservation moving towards a legal framework

A new action plan adopted by parties of CMS, in collaboration with Birdlife International and and Asocion Guyra Paraguay, is one step in an effort to develop a legal framework for the conservation of grasslands in South America. The action plan seeks to ensure the conservation of habitats by identifying new protected areas, providing financial incentives, coordinating monitoring and research, conducting threat assessments, raising awareness, and enhancing international cooperation. Spanish language documents

CBD: COP/10 Official Report with Decisions

The CBD Secretariat has released the official report of COP-10, which includes all decisions and outcomes.

UNFCCC COP-16/CMP-6: Outcomes

Advance unedited versions of the decisions from UNFCCC COP-16/CMP-6 that took place in Cancun (Mexico) from 29 November - 10 December 2010 are online at: http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_16/items/5571.php

Stockholm Convention: 2nd round of National Reports

The Secretariat has released National Reports submitted by 40 of the 172 parties to the Convention. They include information on the progress of implementing the Convention's requirements. Reports

ITTC-46: Outstanding issues concluded

The 46th session of the Interntional Tropical Timber Council convened from 13-18 December, 2010 in Yokohama (Japan) and concluded with compromises on two outstanding issues: the Collaborative Initiative between ITTO and CBD to conserve tropical forest biodiversity, and financial arrangements for hosting Council sessions outside of ITTO HQ in Yokohama. Decisions

It was announced during the closing of the session that additional funding of US$16.8 million had been pledged towards the conservation and sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources, including $4.5 million for the implementation of its pilot thematic programme on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services in Tropical Forests (REDDES) and US$12.3 million for other thematic programmes, new projects and activities.

UNDESA/UNDP: Support for LDCs in Rio+20 process

It has been reported that Least Developed Countries (LDCs) were not among those countries that responded to the UNCSD (Rio+20) Secretariat's solicitiation for technical inputs for the preparation of the Secretary-General’s report to be submitted to the 2nd UNCSD Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom) in March 2011.

In response, a Concept Note has been prepared by UNDESA and UNDP proposing a project that would seek to assist approximately 60 developing countries to "prepare for and contribute effectively to the UNCSD process based on their expression of demand and their particular needs." The inputs into the project would seek to build the capacity of relevant institutions and individuals to engage in the outcomes from UNCSD. The Concept Note indicates that the total resource requirement for the proposed project is US$2,809,820.

UNEP: Policy Series on Ecosystem Management

The second issue of the UNEP Policy Series on Ecosystem Management The role of ecosystems in developing a sustainable 'Green Economy' discusses how investing in ecosystems can deliver benefits to all levels of society in helping communities adapt to climate change.

Forest Forum: UNFF-9

The 9th Session of the UN Forest Forum will take place from 24 January - 4 February, 2011 at UN/HQ under the theme "forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication." UNFF-9  is expected to complete consideration of the means of implementation for sustainable forest management.   UNFF Homepage

CBD: Implementation of Plan of Action

The 1st meeting on the CBD Plan of Action on Sub-National Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity 2011-2020 will take place from 17-19 January in Montpellier (France). the Plan is intended to support parties and local authorities in implementing the CBD Strategic Plan 2011-2020, its targets and relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP).

ITPGR: 2nd Meeting of Compliance Working Group

In preparation for the 4th session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), to be held in March 2011 in Bali (Indonesia), the Ad Hoc Working Group on Compliance will continue deliberations on procedures and mechanisms to promote compliance and address issues of non-compliance from 17-18 January in Rome (Italy).  

Indigenous People and Forests: Expert Group Meeting

Coinciding with the 2011 International Year of Forests (IYF), this meeting will take place from 12-14 January, 2011. The findings are to be presented to the 10th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) scheduled to take place at UN/HQ from 16-27 May 2011. Documentation