03/02/2011
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity / United Nations Environment Programme
At a ceremony held yesterday
(February 2) in New York, the Nagoya Protocol
on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair
and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising
from their Utilization was opened for signature
by Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity. Addressing the opening ceremony,
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
called on all Parties to expedite the early
entry into force of this new legal instrument
at the service of sustainable development
and to the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals.
Speaking on behalf of
the President of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD), Japan's Vice-Minister for Global
Environmental Affairs, Mr. Tatsushi Terada,
said: "The historic adoption of the
Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing
was indeed the fruit of the collective efforts
of all the Parties. The next step that we
need to focus is the early entry into force
and the effective implementation of the
Protocol."
During the ceremony,
representatives of Colombia, Yemen, Brazil
and Algeria signed the Nagoya Protocol,
which remains open for signature until 1
February 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters
in New York.
After six years of negotiations,
the tenth meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity adopted the Nagoya Protocol on
29 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan. The Protocol
builds on the Convention and supports the
further implementation of one of its objectives:
the fair and equitable sharing of benefits
arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources.
The Protocol provides
the means to translate the Convention's
objective into reality. Speaking on its
immense significance, the Executive Secretary
of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, said: "It will
benefit all. Indeed, it will provide greater
legal certainty and transparency for both
providers and users of genetic resources
and associated traditional knowledge. It
will facilitate access to genetic resources
and associated traditional knowledge, on
the one hand, and support the fair and equitable
sharing of benefits with the provider country
and indigenous and local communities, on
the other."
Genetic resources, whether
from plant, animal or micro-organisms, are
used for various purposes, ranging from
basic research to the development of products.
Users of genetic resources include research
institutes, universities and private companies
operating in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals,
agriculture, horticulture, cosmetics and
biotechnology.
Benefits derived from
genetic resources may include the sharing
of the results of research and development
carried out on genetic resources the transfer
of technologies that make use of those resources,
participation in biotechnological research
activities, or monetary benefits arising
from the commercialization of products based
on genetic resources, such as pharmaceuticals.
The Nagoya Protocol
enters into force 90 days after the deposit
of the fiftieth instrument of ratification,
acceptance, approval, or accession. The
eleventh meeting of the Conference of the
Parties, being held in India from 8 to 19
October 2012, is the target for convening
the first meeting of the Parties to the
Protocol. For this target to be met, the
Nagoya Protocol must enter into force no
later than 8 October 2012, with the fiftieth
instrument of ratification deposited no
later than 10 July 2012.
The Nagoya Protocol's
early entry into force is strategically
important for the successful implementation
of the Convention. The Conference of the
Parties and the United Nations General Assembly
have called upon the Convention's 193 Parties
to sign the Nagoya Protocol at the earliest
opportunity, and to deposit their instruments
of ratification, acceptance, approval, or
instruments of accession, as appropriate,
as soon as possible.
Monique Barbut, CEO
and Chairperson of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) announced a million dollar
project to support the early entry into
force of the Protocol, stating that: "The
GEF, as the designated financial mechanism
of this new legal instrument, is fully committed
to ensure it moves into force as quickly
as possible. The Nagoya Protocol is the
latest tool toward serving what marks 20
years of strong results investing locally
for global impact."
+ More
IBAMA grants license
for activities related to the Belo Monte
dam
07/02/2011
The Brazilian Institute of the Environment
and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)
has issued a specific Installation License
for the construction of the initial construction
sites and camps at Belo Monte and Pimental,
serving the Belo Monte dam. This license
also authorizes Norte Energia (NESA) to
carry out other activities, such as building
and improving access roads and areas in
which to store soil and wood and to perform
landscaping work.
These activities will
prepare the infrastructure required for
the main work, the object of specific analysis,
underway. IBAMA has also authorized the
removal of vegetation from 238 hectares
in order to accommodate the Belo Monte spillway.
The Belo Monte dam will
be built on the Xingu River, about 40 kilometers
from Altamira (Pará), and will have
an installed capacity of 11,233 MW, with
two reservoirs covering a total of 516 km2.
The dam had been issued with a provisional
license, in February 2010, certifying to
the environmental feasibility of the proposed
new development. Seven months later, NESA
made its application to IBAMA for the environmental
license for the initial installations and
provided the Basic Environmental Projects
for this stage of the licensing process.
IBAMA held an in-depth
technical discussion of the proposed measures
to meet the conditions set out in Provisional
License No. 342/2010, including the implementation
of anticipatory action identified in the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as
necessary for the preparation of the region
to take on the new development and the adjustment
of environmental programs stipulated for
this stage. One example of this was the
seminar held on January 10 this year, where
the Social and Economic Indicator Monitoring
Program was drawn up.
More than 20 meetings
were held between IBAMA technicians, representatives
of NESA, consultants, representatives of
partnering institutions (the Ministry of
the Environment, the Ministry of Mines and
Energy, the Ministry of Health, the Attorney
General's Office, the Office of the President,
the Xingu Regional Sustainable Development
Plan, the National Water Agency, the National
Energy Agency , the National Indian Foundation,
the Institute of Historical and Artistic
Heritage, and the National Institute for
Colonization and Agrarian Reform), the city
halls of Altamira, Vitoria do Xingu and
Anapu, the Federal Public Prosecution Service
and the Federal Senate.
A technical survey was
also conducted in the region of influence
covered by the Belo Monte Hydroelectric
Plant (AHE Belo Monte), from November 16
to 20, 2010, to assess the situation with
regard to the issuance of this license.
On this occasion, technicians from the Institute
met with organizations from civil society
in the region, attended by representatives
of fishermen's associations, neighborhood
associations, native people, native people
of the Paquicamba land, the Bar Association
from Altamira, businesspeople, the timber
association, rural employer association,
the Social and Environmental Institute,
Amazon Watch, the Public Prosecution Service
in Altamira, the Public Defender, the Federation
of Agricultural Workers, the Belo Monte
Consortium, the potters' association, the
Xingu Forever Alive Movement, and the Movement
of People Affected by the Dam.
The discussion about
the level of compliance was always based
on technical recommendations made in official
opinions and IBAMA's technical notes. As
a result of the intense technical discussion
between IBAMA, the contractor and other
institutions involved, gradual compliance
with the demands made for this stage of
licensing, such as the provisional sanitation
work and the refurbishment of schools and
hospitals, which are essential to the region
in question, was noted.
Source: Portal Brazil / IBAMA
+ More
Brazil wins the Ramsar
Wetland Conservation Awards
01/02/2011
To commemorate its 40th anniversary, the
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands announced
yesterday (January 31) the winners of the
Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards. Brazil
won the category Sustainable Management
of Ramsar Sites in the Americas, with the
initiatives implemented in the region of
Mamirauá (Amazonas).
The award will be presented
at a ceremony in Huatulco, Mexico, on Wednesday
(February 2), when the World Wetlands Day
is celebrated. Representatives of American
countries, including Brazil, are gathered
in Mexico to present the activities in the
Ramsar sites being implemented by each country.
The Ramsar Wetland Conservation
Awards
The Ramsar Wetland Conservation
Awards were established in 1996 by Resolution
VI.18 of the 6th Meeting of the Conference
of the Contracting Parties to the Convention
on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) in order
to recognize and honor the contributions
of individuals, organizations, and governments
around the world towards promoting the conservation
and wise use of wetlands. They were first
awarded on the occasion of the 7th Meeting
of the Conference of the Parties (San José,
Costa Rica, 1999).
The Convention today
Number of Contracting Parties: 160
Sites designated for the List of Wetlands
of International Importance: 1,912
Total surface area of designated sites:
186 963 216 hectares
