1. The Executive Secretary is please to circulate herewith, for the information of participants in the fifteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, an information document on livelihood alternatives for the unsustainable use of bushmeat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, prepared by a consultant in preparation for the joint meeting of the L...

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity regulates international trade in Living Modified Organisms (LMOs). As the Protocol concerns trade in commodities, e.g. genetically modified seeds and vegetables, it concerns a trade which is of major importance to the world’s economy. The relationship between the Protocol and the World Trade Organization (WTO) is ther...

Biological diversity in areas of land use (called ‘agrodiversity’ in the People, Land Management and Environmental Change – PLEC project) is not simply a function of the diversity of species and varieties of biota. Naturally, it does concern standard ecological biodiversity aspects (often termed ‘agro-biodiversity’ or ‘agricultural biodiversity’). Usually it is used to tell the tale of how mode...

This article uses data from Thomson Reuters Web of Science to map and analyse the scientific landscape for synthetic biology. The article draws on recent advances in data visualisation and analytics with the aim of informing upcoming international policy debates on the governance of synthetic biology by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the United...

The present paper was prepared by the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change established by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in response to a request of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. The paper examines the interlinkages between climate change and biological diversity...

Invasive alien species spread through the environment and threaten native biodiversity, assisted by the absence of natural enemies. Alien species may also carry pathogens, which can be transmitted to native species. About half of the known endangered species are under threat from invasive alien species. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2008 invited rele...

India is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol 2 – this international Convention, though primarily focusing on transboundary movement of living modified organisms [LMOs, also popularly referred to as GMOs – Genetically Modified Organisms including GM crops], emphasizes a precautionary approach towards LMOs. The Convention is about ‘ensuring adequate levels of protection in the field, of the saf...

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an internationally binding instrument addressing issues of biosafety. Biosafety refers to the need to protect human health and the environment from the possible adverse effects of the products of modern biotechnology. Accordingly, all countries to the convention are required to put in place regulatory mechanisms to...