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The impacts of climate change on biodiversity are of major concern to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Conference of the Parties has highlighted the risks, in particular, to coral reefs and to forest ecosystems, and has drawn attention to the serious impacts of loss of biodiversity of these systems on people’s livelihoods. It has also turned its attention to the potential impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems of the various options for mitigating or adapting to climate change and requested the Convention’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to develop scientific advice on these issues.
SBSTTA established an ad hoc technical expert group to carry out an assessment of the inter-linkages between biodiversity and climate change. The results are contained in the present report, which draws upon best available scientific knowledge, including that provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The report concludes that there are significant opportunities for mitigating climate change, and for adapting to climate change while enhancing the conservation of biodiversity. However, these synergies will not happen without a conscious attention to biodiversity concerns. The report identifies a wide range of tools that can help decision makers assess the likely impacts and make informed choices.
The report provides the scientific basis for the development of recommendations, as appropriate, under each Convention, for setting priorities for future research. I hope that it will also be used widely by countries as they seek to implement policies, programmes and activities under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report is a tangible product of cooperation among the Rio conventions. |
