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Ninth Meeting of the Conference  of the Parties  19-30 May 2008| Bonn, Germany Highlights for Monday, 26 May 2008 Delegates met in two working groups throughout the day. Working Group I (WG I) addressed conference room papers (CRPs) on island biodiversity, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI), forest biodiversity and the ecosystem approach. WG II considered monitoring, assessment and indicators, and addressed CRPs on the Strategic Plan, liability and redress, and cooperation with other conventions and engagement of stakeholders. Contact and informal groups on access and benefit-sharing (ABS), financial resources and mechanism, biodiversity and climate change, agricultural biodiversity and biofuels, forest biodiversity, protected areas, and the budget also met. Above photo L-R: German delegates Horst Korn, Nicola Breier and Horst Freiburg consulting during the morning session of WG II.

WORKING GROUP I GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION: WG I Chair Maria Mbengashe (South Africa)  On development and implementation of the Strategy beyond 2010, and following discussions among BRAZIL, the EU, NEW ZEALAND and SAUDI ARABIA, delegates agreed to retain a reference to “current and emerging” environmental challenges.  Above photo: Delegates from SAUDI ARABIA in consultation during the WG I session on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. FOREST BIODIVERSITY: The AFRICAN GROUP, with others, supported a paragraph calling for suspending any release of genetically modified (GM) trees, pending  assessment of potential impacts. Above photo: Ben Turtur Donnie (Liberia) The EU, with BRAZIL and others, favored an alternative paragraph, reaffirming the need to apply the precautionary approach to the use of GM trees.  Above photo: Delegates from Slovenia, speaking on behalf of the EU. The PUBLIC RESEARCH AND REGULATION INITIATIVE (PRRI) underscored the need for controlled field releases of GM trees in order to assess potential impacts. Above photo: Allen Van Deynze (PRRI) GREENPEACE called for a target to halt  deforestation by 2015. Above photo: Martin Kaiser (Greenpeace International) with the Golden Chainsaw Award. WORKING GROUP II MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND INDICATORS: MEXICO thanked the UK for its support for a workshop on the Millennium Ecosystem (MA) findings. Above photo: Damaso Luna and Luz María Ortiz (Mexico) The AFRICAN GROUP opposed references to the consultative process towards an international mechanism of scientific expertise on biodiversity (IMoSEB). Above photo: David Hafashimana (Uganda) / The EU supported using the MA conceptual framework in preparing national assessments. Above photo: Marcus Schroeder (Germany) making an intervention on behalf of the EU. COOPERATION: Stressing that engagement of business is the responsibility of parties, CHINA noted their preference to have no decision on the issue. Above photo: Sun Guoshun (China) IUCN, on behalf of Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP) members, explained that biodiversity offsets can help compensate for residual harm to the environment. Above photo: Constanza Martinez (IUCN) The GENE ETHICAL NETWORK opposed any budgetary allocation to business involvement, noting that many delegations have to struggle to fund their participation.  Above photo: Antje Lorch (Gene Ethical Network) The EU proposed to delete a paragraph on capacity building for engaging the business community. Above photo: Elfriede Anna More (Austria) and Marco Rebelo (Portugal) COP 9 ENB SNAPSHOTS: WWF booth at the Plaza Diversity grounds. The Golden Chainsaw Award Solar cooker  Linda Collette (FAO) Fabian Haas (ICIPE) Boukar Attari (Niger) Matilde Da Conceicao Gomes Lopes (Guinea Bissau) Djamel Echirk (Algeria)  Peter Skoberne (Slovenia) Marc Auer (Germany) in discussion with ABS Co-Chair Tim Hodges (Canada) Jose Rafael Almonte  (Dominican Republic) Karma Nyedrup (Bhutan) with Mary Fosi Mbantenkhu (Cameroon) Robert Höft (CBD) consulting with Alfred Oteng Yeboah (Ghana) Kerry ten Kate (Forest Trends) John Scott (CBD)

up to top Daily web coverage: 19 May - 20 May - 21 May - 22 May - 23 May 26 May - 27 May - 28 May - 29 May - 30 May

Related Links CBD Secretariat CBD COP 9 official website Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Web page COP 9 Meeting Documents Summary of major issues at COP 9 International Day for Biological Diversity Global Biodiversity Outlook Millennium Ecosystem Assessment  Countdown 2010 initiative  Links to IISD RS Resources IISD RS coverage of the CBD COP-9, 19-30 May 2008, Bonn, Germany IISD RS coverage of the CBD COP-8, 20-31 March 2006, Curitiba, Brazil IISD RS coverage of the Fourth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP 4), 12-16 May 2008, Bonn, Germany IISD RS coverage of the Thirteenth meeting of the SBSTTA (SBSTTA 13), 18-22 February 2008, Rome, Italy IISD RS coverage of the Twelfth meeting of the SBSTTA (SBSTTA 12), 2-6 July 2008, Paris, France IISD RS coverage of the Second meeting of the Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on the Review and Implementation of the Convention (WGRI 2), 9-13 July 2008, Paris, France IISD RS coverage of the Second meeting of the Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on Protected Areas (WGPA 2),  11-15 February 2008, Rome, Italy IISD RS coverage of the Sixth meeting of the Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing (WGABS 6),  21-25 January 2008, Geneva, Switzerland IISD RS coverage of the Fifth meeting of the Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing (WGABS 5),  8-12 October 2007, Montreal, Canada IISD RS coverage of the Fifth meeting of the Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article (8j) and Related Provisions of the Convention (WG8j 5), 15-19 October 2007, Montreal, Canada IISD RS coverage of the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP-3), 13-17 March 2006, Curitiba, Brazil IISD RS coverage of the COP/MOP-2, 30 May - 3 June 2005, Montr�al, Canada IISD RS coverage of the COP/MOP-1, 23-27 February 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia IISD RS coverage of the Fifth meeting of the AHOE-WG of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 12-19 March 2008, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia IISD RS coverage of the Fourth meeting of the AHOE-WG of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 22-26 October 2007, Montr�al, Canada IISD RS summary report of the Third meeting of the AHOE-WG of Legal and Technical Experts on Liability and Redress in the context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 19-23 February 2007, Montr�al, Canada (HTML - PDF) IISD RS biodiversity and wildlife page Biodiv-l - A mailing list for news on biodiversity and wildlife policy Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news MEA Bulletin - Newsletter on key MEAs and their secretariats African Regional Coverage Linkages Africa - Fortnightly newsletter reporting on sustainable development events in Africa

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