Biodiversity COP11: Key Outcomes

Interview with Shri Hem Pande, Additional Secretary MoEF

Sanskriti Menon, Programme Director, CEE Central Regional Cell and CEE Urban

Shri Hem Pande,
Additional Secretary, MoEF

The eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and its sixth meeting serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, was hosted
by Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI from 1 to 19 October 2012 in Hyderabad. Post conference Shri Hem Pande, Additional Secretary MoEF shares the key outcomes of COP 11 and ESD and Presidency for the Convention in an interview with Sanskriti Menon, Editor, Education for Change.

What are some of the key outcomes of COP 11 from India’s point of view?

India successfully hosted the eleventh CoP to the CBD, and the sixth Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting of the Parties (CoP/MoP-6) to the CBD’s Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Hyderabad from 1-19 October, 2012. The event provided India with an opportunity to consolidate, scale-up and showcase our initiatives and strengths on biodiversity.

CBD CoP-11 adopted 33 decisions on a range of strategic, substantive, administrative, financial and budgetary issues. These include: the status of the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing (ABS); implementation of the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 and progress towards the Aichi biodiversity targets; and implementation of the Strategy for Resource Mobilization; issues related to financial resources and the financial mechanism; cooperation, outreach and the UN Decade on Biodiversity; operations of the Convention; and administrative and budgetary matters. Delegates also addressed: ecosystem restoration; Article 8(j) (traditional knowledge); marine and coastal biodiversity; biodiversity and climate change; biodiversity and development; and several other ecosystem-related and cross-cutting issues.

India is quite satisfied with the outcomes of these meetings.We are particularly happy with the meaningful decision on resource mobilization of doubling the total biodiversity-related international financial resource flows to developing countries

by 2015 and at least maintaining this level until 2020. This is a significant achievement that would add confidence to this process and hopefully assist developing countries in their efforts to protect biodiversity.

Some other contentious issues which yielded good outcomes during CoP-11 are: geo-engineering, guidance on safeguards for biodiversity with regard to REDD+, and marine and coastal biodiversity.

The decision to have a third meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Nagoya Protocol (ICNP-3), alongwith intersessional work on outstanding issues, as well as supporting initiatives to promote ratification and early entry into force and implementation of the Nagoya Protocol is also an important outcome.

The UNGA has since also adopted a resolution on ‘Implementation of Convention on Biological Diversity and its contribution to sustainable development’ highlighting the achievements of CoP-11.

India holds the Presidency for the Convention for the years 2013 and 14, till the next COP. Which are some of the priority areas that India would seek to further develop in the duration of the Presidency?

In its two-year term as the CoP Presidency, India would like to see progress on the delivery of decisions adopted at CoP-11 and CoP-MoP-6. After the important set of decisions taken
in COP-10 and COP-11, the priority for the international community must now be on Implementation. India looks forward to the continued support of all the Parties in this regard.

We would also like to work towards encouraging Parties
to expedite ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, so that the requisite number of ratifications are received in time for the first CoP-MoP of the Protocol to be held concurrently with CoP-12. Expeditious ratification and entry into force of the Protocol and implementation of its provisions related to Access and Benefit Sharing are important key deliverables.

At CoP-11, a call was made to Parties and other stakeholders by the Executive Secretary, CBD to pledge urgent action towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets and become one of several Biodiversity Champions. While inaugurating the High Level Segment, the Prime Minister of India has announced the earmarking of a sum of US$ 50 million during India’s Presidency of CoP to strengthen institutional mechanisms, enhance technical and human capabilities for biodiversity conservation in India, and to promote similar capacity building in other developing countries.

India would like to see other governments join the Hyderabad Call for Action on Biodiversity, by pledging support for biodiversity at domestic, regional or global levels. Towards
this a joint letter signed by the Minister for Environment and Forests as the CoP-11 President and Executive Secretary, CBD Secretariat has been sent to Ministers in charge of all countries.

Some of the other initiatives taken by India in the run-up and during CoP-11 could also be worthy of emulation and follow- up. The brand Ambassador of CoP-11, namely the Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS) train, an innovative mobile exhibition mounted on a specially designed 16 coach AC train which traveled across India from 5th June to 22nd December 2012. This train received over 2.3 million visitors in its journey and played a key role in creating awareness about biodiversity in the country. After the resounding success of SEBS, the possibility to increase the reach of this train to even more remote corners of the country to increase awareness on biodiversity is being explored. Many visiting CoP-11 delegates who visited SEBS in Hyderabad during CoP-11 expressed desire for something similar in their countries.

India has also decided to establish a Biodiversity Museum and a Garden in Hyderabad at the site where our Prime Minister unveiled a commemorative Pylon during CoP-11. The Prime Minister planted the first tree on behalf of India. Representatives of the participating countries at CoP-11 also planted trees. Hyderabad is the first host city of CBD CoP to establish commemorative Pylon, garden and museum.

India would like to play a leadership role during her Presidency by supporting and hosting capacity building in the developing countries. We have offered to host inter-sessional meetings such as the meeting of the Inter Governmental Committee of Nagoya Protocol, expert meeting on biodiversity and poverty eradication, capacity building workshops of developing countries to help them take legislative/administrative measures, and regional/subregional workshops on protected areas etc.

We have also offered to meet part of the cost of the meeting of the Working Group on Art. 8j on Traditional Knowledge.

We would continue to work proactively at the national level as well in our continued quest for mainstreaming biodiversity conversation and protection.

What are some of the key outcomes as regards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) efforts? What are the specific areas that ESD professionals should focus on to help achieve the Aichi Targets in the coming years?

Target 1 of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets is about making people aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably.

Addressing the direct and underlying drivers of biodiversity
loss will ultimately require behavioral change by individuals, organizations and governments. Understanding, awareness and appreciation of the diverse values of biodiversity, underpin the willingness of individuals to make the necessary changes and actions and to create the “political will” for governments to act.

Given this, actions taken towards this target will greatly facilitate the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the fulfillment of the other 19 Aichi Targets, particularly Target 2.

The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) efforts would play an important role in achieving this target, which in turn would help in contributing to achieving other Aichi targets.

Biodiversity is not widely understood and as a result its economic, social and environmental importance is often poorly recognized. The values of biodiversity, should be interpreted in the broadest sense, including environmental, cultural, economic and intrinsic values.

While a better understanding of the values of biodiversity is important in building the motivation for action, it is not enough. Individuals also need to be aware of the types of actions they themselves can take in order to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. Different segments of society can take different actions depending on the types of activities they have control or influence over. Such information can help to empower individuals to take action. The target 1 applies to all people in society.

In order to progress towards this target, Parties will need to develop and implement coherent, strategic and sustained communication, education and public awareness efforts. Different types of education and public awareness activities or campaigns will be needed to reach the different audiences in a country as activities which are effective for one group, may not be for others.

Learning occurs in formal contexts of learning, such as in schools and universities, as well as in informal contexts, such as through the guidance of elders, as well as in museums and parks, and through films, television and literature. Learning also occurs through participation in events and other opportunities for information exchange between stakeholders. Therefore there are a variety of communication and outreach vehicles which could be used. Where possible, awareness and learning about the values of biodiversity should be linked to and mainstreamed into the principles and messages of education for sustainable development.

The Convention’s Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) programme is an important instrument for this target. The establishment of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity by the United Nations General Assembly represents an opportunity, throughout the implementation period of the Strategic Plan, to link national awareness raising activities with a broader international process as a means of developing greater visibility and traction for such actions. Likewise the International Day for Biodiversity, on 22 May, provides a similar opportunity.

For more information contact:

Hem Pande, Additional Secretary

Ministry of Environment and Forests

Room No. 622, Paryavaran Bhawan

CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003

Telefax: 011-24361308, 24363967

Email: hempande@nic.in

The Biodiversity Special Science Express

The Ministry of Environment and Forests in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology supported the creation of ‘Science Express –Biodiversity Special (SEBS)’ that will cover over 100 stations in two years.

SEBS was flagged off on 5 June 2012 from Delhi. The first phase culminated in Gandhinagar on 22 December 2012 after covering 18000 Kms at 57 locations and reaching out to 24 lakh visitors. The second phase began in April and will cover 19000 Kms, 62 railway stations, mostly which were not visited earlier with a stop of 2-4 days at each location.

The train consists of sixteen coaches, of which eight showcase biodiversity across different bio geographic zones in India. Three coaches have exhibits on Climate change, Energy and Water conservation. One coach houses Joy of Science Laboratory and another coach houses a conference room cum training facility.

The exhibition features over 300 large format visual images, 150 video clips and multimedia exhibits. Various complementary activities are conducted on the train as an integral part of the exhibition.

The colourful photo essay here tries to capture a glimpse of the visits to various platforms.

For more information contact:

Dilip Surkar,

Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre

Opp. Gujarat University, Navrangpura,

Ahmedabad 380 009, Gujarat

Ph: 079-26302914; Fax: 079-26306497

Email: vascsc@gmail.com,

Website: http://www.sciencexpress.in

Detailed schedule of the current phase can be accessed at

http://www.sciencexpress.in

The eight coaches hosting exhibition on Biodiversity, highlights the biodiversity found in different bio-geographical regions of India and various facets of marine, coastal, forest, microbial, agro biodiversity and its significance. It also highlights biodiversity and its linkages with livelihoods besides challenges for conservation. The 3-D exhibits caught attention of young and old alike. Many children during interaction said, they were seeing a particular species for the first time that they did not know India is so wide and diverse and there are beautiful animals in the wild besides the Tiger and the Lions.

A team of well-qualified, trained and highly motivated Science Communicators travel with the train, explain and interpret the exhibits, 

answer the queries, facilitate the visitors and conduct complementary activities. The team has been selected from across India.

The Joy of Science Lab housed in one coach is very popular with the students. It complements the biodiversity messages by presenting concepts taught in school in new and different ways. Students are able to see practical demonstrations of book-learnt content.

Local partners organized various activities on platform that helped relate to the local/regional knowledge. For example in Mumbai, local partner BNHS conducted an exhibition on the environmental concerns of Mumbai.

“As a science communicator, one needs to become 

adept at juggling between explaining the exhibits to the visitors, while at the same time convening with fellow science communicators to discuss points that come to the fore during the day’s communications.

When on the train, a communicator generally looks out for the ‘first catch’ of the day. If the first sets of people or students are bright-eyed, inquisitive and pay attention to what we communicate, elation fills us and we want to deliver more”. Daniel Divyakumar H, Science Communicator

The teacher training coach provides an opportunity for the Science Communicator and Educators from CEE and other partner

organizations to interact with visiting teachers. Teaching learning methods and innovations, materials are shared in structured sessions. 

A total of 2,536 teachers participated in the teachers training in the

2012-13 phase of SEBS.

The core team that helped develop 8 coach exhibits on biodiversity personally visited and interacted with visitors of all age groups. These interactions helped analyze the usefulness of the display, shortcomings and feedbacks from individuals.This would help to meet the expectations of visitors in future visits.

Volunteers from schools and colleges also helped at several locations. This not only helped in engaging the visitors in meaningful activities but also took the volunteer educators to a learning level where they also felt more responsible.

The Pledge for Life Campaign highlights personal  actions and commitments to preserve biodiversity. Nearly 1.7 million pledges were taken in 12 different languages from across the places the train visited in the 2012-13 phase.

At each platform, drawing competitions were conducted for students visiting the train on the topic energy conservation. Many students came up with innovative ideas of conserving the fuel and energy. Each participant was awarded a certificate of participation and the winner a token cash amount.

“Voting for national microbe” was another popular activity. The voting was organized in order to create awareness about the wealth of microbes those are beneficial to humans. Visitors were encouraged to vote for a microbe of their choice. Children found it amusing to cast their vote for a microbe in a ballot box. Inside the train they were allowed to cast vote on an electronic machine. The most popular microbe turned out to be Lacto bacillus that helps in making curd, this was announced as children’s choice at a side even during COP 11 in Hyderabad.

Photograph Courtesy: Savita Bharti, CEE, http://www.sciencexpress.in/ScienceExpress and Science Express Photographer

Reorienting Biodiversity Education for Sustainable Development

The need of the hour

Dr Shailaja Ravindranath, Programme Director, CEE South

Biodiversity touches our lives and the livelihoods, influencing economic, ecological and socio-cultural aspects leading to Sustainable Development; education and awareness are integral to the conservation of Biodiversity to attain Sustainable Development. There is a need, hence, to incorporate the perspectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into biodiversity education.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Communication, Education, Public Awareness (CEPA)

Agenda 21, the key document of
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held at Rio de Janeiro, June 1992, is the first international document that highlighted education as an essential tool for achieving the goals of sustainable development. Re-affirming this view, the CBD which is one of the major outcomes of the Summit, addressed CEPA in Article 13 in its fourth COP meeting (Slovakia, 1998), to promote its objectives; conservation, sustainable use, and access and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

With UNESCO as the key partner, CBD launched a global initiative on biodiversity education in 2002 at COP 6 in Hague and adopted the framework of CEPA (COP 6 Decision VI/19). CEPA strategies were then integrated into all sectoral and thematic areas under the programme of work of the CBD.

A Decade of CEPA ( 2002 – 2012)

The decision to develop CEPA work programme was taken in COP 7 (Malaysia, 2004) and COP 8 (Brazil, 2006) adopted a list of ten priority activities to guide implementation of CEPA. COP 9 (Bonn, 2008) invited Parties to increase their efforts of CEPA and also to integrate it into their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

The decision to declare 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity was also taken at COP 9.

As the UN Decade on Biodiversity (2011 - 2020) was declared at the COP 10 in 2010, in Nagoya, Japan, the Aichi Biodiversity targets adopted for the Decade, placed education and awareness at the top of its targets. Target 1 states, ‘By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of Biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably’. The Strategic goal E, ‘Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building’, further supports the Aichi Biodiversity target 1.

Even though the thinking on CEPA continues to increase, the practices need strengthening. The impact of CEPA in achieving the objectives of CBD is slower and hardly visible. For instance, education finds place only in a fraction of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP) of the Signatory countries, reflecting the commitment of countries to CEPA. In the CBD COP meetings, CEPA is a cross cutting issue. Yet, the issues related to CEPA to achieve specific targets are little discussed. The inadequate allocation of explicit space and time for CEPA discussions, despite the best of intentions, has been a matter of concern. Even the strategic plan of the UN Decade on Biodiversity (2011-2020), does not draw any specific plan for education and public awareness (UNEP 2010).

So, where is the problem? CEPA in the DESD

In 2004, more than a decade of the Earth Summit, the UN General Assembly declared the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) with UNESCO as the lead agency with the objective of reorienting education towards sustainable development.

With the concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) evolving independently of CEPA, UNESCO is promoting education on biodiversity focusing on the interlinking issues of biodiversity and sustainable development in the context of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD).

Undoubtedly, there is a great deal of interest along with laudable efforts to weave ESD into the mainstream of the biodiversity conservation programmes at all levels, taking advantage of events and processes of the International Year of Biodiversity (2010), DESD (2005 – 2014) and now the UN Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB: 2011 - 2020).

However, the perspectives of ESD have not been embedded in to CEPA and still remain parallel and independent stream in terms of thinking and implementation.

The challenges of CEPA in the UNDB

The UN Decade of Biodiversity has defined 20 Aichi Biodiversity targets which are intended to be achieved, in the specific time frame of 10 years, aiming at multi stakeholders focusing more on the communities and address complex issues related to environment, socio-cultural and economics. Are the present strategies of CEPA adequately equipped to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity targets?

The DESD mid-decade conference at Bonn in 2009, while discussing the ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Education and Learning’ felt that ‘More environmental education is required in formal and informal education, with a better focus on biodiversity in a more holistic way, involving links to ethical, social, cultural and economic aspects’.

Therefore, the challenge for CEPA to support CBD work programmes to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity targets is much more comprehensive, complex and huge in the decade. Is more CEPA or a different type of CEPA required in this context? Probably both. This calls for widening the scope, developing much more powerful tools.

Steps taken by CBD towards strengthening CEPA

CBD, well aware of this crucial requirement, has set education and awareness high on the agenda to facilitate the implementation of other 19 targets.

Another major step in this direction is signing a MoU for a partnership between the CBD Secretariat and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). This was a consequence of a two-day parallel event ‘International Conference on Biodiversity Conservation and Education for Sustainable Development – Learning to Conserve Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World’, organized by CEE in partnership with Ministry of Human Resource Development and Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, the CBD Secretariat, UNESCO, UNEP, and GEF UNDP SGP, at the recently held CBD COP 11 in October

2012 in Hyderabad, India. The outcome document emphasized linking CEPA
to ESD, “Recognizing that biodiversity conservation being intrinsically linked to sustainable development, it is important to move beyond CEPA to align with the concepts of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), as we formulate educational strategies to achieve the Aichi biodiversity targets”.

This partnership would involve taking the initiative forward, working towards developing and implementing an educational strategy and plans of action that are supportive to the objectives of CBD, the strategic plan in the Decade on Biodiversity, and the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development. The task includes collaboration on foundational research, engaging relevant partners and stakeholders for wider sharing of information, learning, implementation and scaling up of best practice. It is hoped that this partnership will play an important role in strengthening ESD within the CBD.

The Road Ahead

The assumption that the parties are committed to sustainable development and hence will link CEPA to ESD is farfetched. As the UNDESD is drawing to a closein 2014, countries are still struggling to understand the implementation mechanisms of ESD and harness its full potential.

One of greatest challenges is to embed the ESD perspectives into the CEPA processes within the CBD in a coherent and timely manner. It is important for ESD therefore to link with the objectives of the CBD to avoid repetitions, save resources and bring institutions together. It is only appropriate at this point to analyse the strengths, weakness and opportunities of ESD critically with a clear understanding of the processes and implications in Biodiversity conservation identify and bridge the gaps to integrate into CEPA, for a more meaningful and effective contribution to both the decades - UNDB and UNDESD.

The need of the hour for achieving Aichi targets in the remaining eight years of the UNDB therefore, is a strong, concrete strategy and plan of action including the investments for Education within the CBD, linking it with sustainable development.

For more information contact:

Dr. Shailaja Ravindranath
Programme Director

CEE South, Kamala Mansion, II Floor, 143

Infantry Road, Bengaluru – 560 001

Ph: 080-22868037/22868039

Email: shailaja.ravindranath@ceeindia.org

Initiating a new partnership

Recognizing the initiatives and efforts of CEE in reemphasizing the role of education as a key driver to achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, through the parallel event, the international Conference on Biodiversity Conservation and Education for Sustainable Development: Learning to Conserve Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World, held at the margins of the CBD COP 11, at Hyderabad 2012, 
the CBD Secretariat and CEE have signed a memorandum of cooperation and agreed to: 

1.      Cooperate to promote the development and implementation of educational strategy and plans of action that are supportive of the objectives of the CBD, the Strategic Plan and the Decade on Biodiversity and of the objectives of education for sustainable development;
2.      Collaborate on foundational research and desk studies that would assist CBD in development of strategies, guidelines, tools and materials to support relevant communication and learning objectives;
3.      Collaborate to engage relevant partners and stakeholders, including existing international educational initiatives for wider sharing of information, learning, implementation and scaling up;
4.      Collaborate on innovative concepts and practices to educate and engage stakeholders, particularly children and youth, such as the Handprint and The Green Wave initiatives, in order to advance their objectives and strengthen their implementation and effectiveness;
5.      Collaborate to encourage participation of local communities, children and youth and other stakeholder groups in decision making processes and implementation actions related to biodiversity and other related issues; 
6. 6   These activities would be defined and implemented in accordance with agreed biennial work plans.

Dr Braulio Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD and 

Dr Shailaja Ravindranath, Programme Director, 

CEE sign the MoU initiating a partnership