International Year of Biodiversity

International Year of Biodiversity

The International Year of Biodiversity was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly and coordinated by the Convention on Biological Diversity to raise awareness of biodiversity loss and stimulate implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Aichi Biodiversity Targets across nations including United Kingdom, United States, China, India. Endorsed at sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and publicized alongside events by the United Nations Environment Programme, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, the year sought to link multilateral processes such as the Rio+20 summit with national strategies like the European Union's Natura 2000 and programs of the United Nations Development Programme.

Background and Declaration

The declaration followed negotiations at the United Nations General Assembly influenced by advocacy from the Convention on Biological Diversity, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and campaign groups including Greenpeace and WWF International. Proposals referenced outcomes of the Earth Summit (1992), the Johannesburg Summit (2002), and the Millennium Development Goals discussions led by the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank. Delegations from Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Australia and regional blocs such as the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations negotiated language on targets informed by scientific reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Formal proclamation was timed to support the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity ahead of its Nagoya Protocol negotiations.

Objectives and Themes

Planners set objectives to promote the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, popularize the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, accelerate ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, and reinforce implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and national measures such as Endangered Species Act-style protections in countries including the United States and Mexico. Themed months and campaigns connected to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Royal Society, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, National Geographic Society, and International Union for Conservation of Nature emphasized links among biodiversity, the Convention on Biological Diversity's cross-cutting issues, ecosystem services assessed by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and sectoral interests represented by the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, and United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Global and National Activities

International actors including the United Nations Environment Programme, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, European Commission, African Union, and national agencies in Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Canada coordinated conferences, public education programs, and legislative reviews. NGOs such as WWF International, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, BirdLife International, and Fauna & Flora International organized citizen science projects with museums like the American Museum of Natural History and institutions like Kew Gardens and the Smithsonian Institution. Academic partners including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Australian National University produced assessments used by finance bodies such as the World Bank and initiatives like the Global Environment Facility. National campaigns linked to protected-area systems including Natura 2000, National Parks of Canada, Yellowstone National Park, and Kruger National Park highlighted species lists involving IUCN Red List entries, with media coverage by outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera.

Outcomes and Legacy

The year contributed to political salience that aided adoption of the Nagoya Protocol and bolstered momentum for the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. It catalyzed partnerships among the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Development Programme, Global Environment Facility, World Bank, and regional bodies like the European Commission and the African Union to scale conservation finance and capacity building projects in countries including Indonesia, Madagascar, Philippines, and Peru. Scientific institutions such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Royal Society, Smithsonian Institution, and universities expanded monitoring programs and databases that fed into the IUCN Red List and national biodiversity strategies and action plans in states like South Africa and New Zealand. Legacy outputs influenced later multilateral processes including negotiations at COP15 (2021) under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Criticism and Challenges

Observers from think tanks such as the World Resources Institute, NGOs including Friends of the Earth, academics at institutions like University of Oxford and London School of Economics, and delegates from countries such as Nigeria and Venezuela argued that awareness-raising did not adequately address financing gaps noted by the Global Environment Facility or enforcement weaknesses highlighted in reports by the IUCN and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Critics pointed to persistent biodiversity declines reported by the IUCN Red List and analyses by the World Bank that suggested limited progress toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, while disputes at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity underscored tensions among European Union member states, United States policy stances, and providers of biodiversity-rich resources such as Brazil and Indonesia. Implementation challenges included gaps in national capacity noted by the United Nations Development Programme, fragmentation among multilateral instruments like the Nagoya Protocol and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and competing development priorities addressed at forums like Rio+20.

Category:United Nations observances