Buenos Aires, Argentina - IUCN

genetic resources on a global level. Although it recognizes
humanity as the custodians for biodiversity, the
Convention places the responsibility of safeguarding
and managing resources squarely on individual
nations. However, it was noted that the Convention is
not the only solution to the problem of loss of biodiversity,
and it is important to recognize the links between
the CBD and other Conventions. A draft IUCN Explanatory
Guide to the CBD was introduced to participants
as an attempt to demystify the Convention by
explaining each of its Articles.
IUCN's Biodiversity Programme has established a
close working relationship with the Interim Secretariat
of the CBD (ISCBD). The Programme will assist
the ISCBD in the preparation of future events, such as
the Ad Hoc Scientific Committee (April 1994), the Second
Inter-governmental Committee on the CBD (June
1994), and the first Conference of Parties (November
1994). It was suggested that IUCN and its members
should try to influence government positions for these
events by helping to clarify the issues and options for
decision-makers. Concern was also expressed that
many governments do not inform indigenous peoples
and local communities about the Convention.
The Workshop recommended that IUCN and its
members should:
¤ encourage nations to ratify the Convention;
¤ review the draft Explanatory Guide;
¤ support preparation of National Biodiversity
Strategies;
¤ build biodiversity concerns into their own activities;
¤ involve indigenous peoples in biodiversity matters
and promote their representation on delegations;
¤ inform governments on biodiversity issues, such as
intellectual property rights;
¤ influence government positions and participate at
future Convention events.
The Proposed International Marine Conservation
Network. There is a great disparity between the attention
given to terrestrial ecosystems and that given to
marines ones. The Global Biodiversity Marine Strategy,
developed as a step towards correcting this, had
led to the recognition of the need for a network that
would be a "net of workers" from the field rather than
the traditional vehicle for information exchange, complementing
other existing networks, such as that of the
marine research laboratories. It was felt that IUCN
could help best by getting people involved in the
network, helping to review recommendations and set
priorities, and advising on how to establish and run
the network.
Biodiversity country studies, action plans and
strategies. In Chile, an impressive effort had been
made to develop an Action Plan for Biodiversity, with
scant economic resources and an unusually cooperative
team consisting of six ministries, universities,
institutes, industry and NGOs. But lack of public
awareness, a tendency toward "territorialization" and
lack of finance had been problems. In Norway, however,
to avoid "territorialization", each ministry had
developed its own sub-strategy, and the Ministry of
the Environment had prepared a "blueprint" into
which the sub-strategies would fit. The various ministries
not only felt in control of their parts of the plan,
but were also then responsible for bringing in their
constituencies. Working with a developing country by
supporting its work to develop its own strategy, in this
case Indonesia, was also found to be helpful for both
nations.
One speaker argued that exercises to prepare such
plans and strategies are often too complex and do not
match the resources available for action or the way
that decisions are made. Nationally developed plans
usually over-emphasize unnecessary infrastructure
development and are inadequate in terms of maintenance,
operational activities and training needs. If conservation
managers in each country were sufficiently
trained to make their own decisions, there would be
little need for management plans prepared by outside
experts. In China, difficulties in attempting to prepare
a national biodiversity conservation plan mainly arose
from power struggles, money spent inefficiently on
travel, no database, minimal funding, and the slow
pace in getting approvals and moving ahead.
IUCN could best help the development of such
plans and strategies by:
¤ providing technical advice to enable countries to
prepare their own plans;
¤ working with WRI and UNEP to prepare guidelines
for biodiversity strategies and action plans;
¤ helping build national capacity for preparing and
implementing such strategies and plans;
¤
encouraging governments to establish very clear,
focussed, simple objectives for such strategies and
plans; to base these on existing plans; to involve all
the implementors; and to couple planning exercises
with capacity-building.
Global Biodiversity Forum. The first meeting of the
Forum had been held at IUCN Headquarters in
October 1993, just before the Intergovernmental
66 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY