Center for Humans and Nature

CHN Global Program at the Convention on Biological Diversity

Global Program, The Biosphere Ethics Initiative

December 20th, 2010

CHN Global Director Kathryn Kintzele represented the Center for Humans and Nature as a formal Observer at the 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 18-29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. CHN co-hosted a side event with the Ethics Specialist Group of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, “The Biosphere Ethics Initiative: incorporating environmental ethics into law, governance and policy.”

The panelists were Sheila Abed, Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and President of the Institute of Environmental Law and Economics (IDEA), Vincent Graffin, Vice President of the IUCN French Committee and Directeur Générale, Délégué à la Conservation de la Nature et au Développement Durable of the Paris Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle; Thomas Greiber, Legal Officer of the IUCN Environmental Law Center and Kathryn Kintzele.

Dr. Abed opened the side event by providing background information on the Commission. She also commented on the role of the Biosphere Ethics Initiative in the Commission; its relevance and overarching goal, which is to develop and advance a living soft law programme of practical conservation ethics, with foundational principles applicable to everyone, yet workable to be region‐specific.

Dr. Kintzele followed by providing details on the Initiative’s background, an overview of the Relato process, and the connections with the CBD. She emphasized the Indiana Dunes Relato, which is the most recent Relato, and the first Relato working toward the creation of a local ethic.

Dr. Greiber continued with the Rights Based Approach to Conservation program and its partnership with the BEI. He explained the relationship between rights and conservation and how these can be mutually influencing with each other.  He also spoke about the challenges to the development of an RBA to conservation and explained that since this is a cross cutting issue, like ethics, there are many different stakeholders.  The aims of the program are to further develop the articles, case studies and discussion on the matter.  Through the use of an online Portal, the RBA collects and shares information, bringing people and partners together.  The basic idea is to provide a “one-stop shop” for information, building at the same time an interactive community through some kind of “Wiki-technology”. Last, the Conservation Portal also leaves opportunities for capacity building and collaboration.

Dr. Graffin spoke about the implementation of the BEI with the IUCN Comité français and the Muséum, and gave insight into the launch and workshop held in Paris in February 2010, its outcomes, and some of the steps taken to incorporate the BEI into Comité and Muséum projects.  Vincent also talked about the importance of diverse partnerships and the key roles they play in the initiative.

The topic of ethics had great prominence during the COP. In fact, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, closed his opening remarks before the plenary stating, “We must see what we are doing to the world with our eyes open. And we must come from an ethical perspective.” A new multi-lateral treaty, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization, was adopted on the final day of the COP, and will be open for signatories in early 2011. The Aichi Targets, or the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity, was also adopted.

Dr. Kintzele also served as an Expert at the City Biodiversity Summit 2010: Local Governments Acting for Biodiversity, a parallel high-level meeting of the COP with Mayors and Governors from around the world, hosted by ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability, and the Secretariat of the CBD. The resulting AICHI/NAGOYA DECLARATION ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND BIODIVERSITY was adopted by the parties on the final day of the CBD.