Information

Reaffirming the great importance of the development and implementation by all Parties of national strategies, plans and programmes in accordance. with Article 6 of the Convention,

Welcoming the work already undertaken by the Parties in implementing Article 6,

Recalling paragraph 5 of decision II/6, in which the Conference of the Parties requested the interim institutional structure operating the financial mechanism to facilitate urgent implementation of Article 6 of the Convention by making available to developing country Parties financial resources for projects in a flexible and expeditious manner,

Recalling also that in decision II/17 the Conference of the Parties decided that the first national reports by Parties would focus in so far as possible on measures taken for the implementation of Article 6,

Reaffirming that Article 8 of the Convention sets out a clear framework of the necessary elements for in situ conservation, which should be addressed in a coherent manner,

Noting that the reduction in the number of species and the fragmentation and degradation of ecosystems and habitats call not only for conservation but also for inter alia sustainable use and restoration of habitats, including their biological diversity components, together with other measures provided for by Article 8 of the Convention,

Noting the conclusions and recommendations of the United Nations-Norway Conference on Alien Species, Trondheim, Norway, 1-5 July 1996, and suggesting that Parties may wish to use these results in their implementation of Article 8 (h) of the Convention,

Believing that a central role of the clearing-house mechanism should be the sharing of experiences and dissemination of information relevant to Articles 6 and 8,

Emphasizing that the compilation and dissemination under the Convention of information relevant to the implementation of Articles 6 and 8 should complement and enhance existing efforts, rather than duplicate them,

1. Stresses the need for Parties to ensure the cross-border coordination of their respective strategies, on a bilateral as well as on a regional basis;

2. Urges Parties to include in their national plans or strategies and legislation measures for:

(a) The conservation of biological diversity both in situ and ex situ;

(b) The integration of biological diversity objectives in relevant sectoral policies in order to achieve conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity;

(c) The equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources;

3. Further urges Parties to submit their first national reports on time;

4. Requests the interim financial mechanism under the Convention to make available to developing country Parties resources to enable them to facilitate urgent implementation of paragraphs 2 and 3 above;

5. Encourages all Parties to set measurable targets in order to achieve biological diversity conservation and sustainable use objectives;

6. Requests Parties to take action to achieve the restoration of habitats, including their biological diversity components;

7. Requests the Executive Secretary to explore ways of enhancing the collection and dissemination to Parties of information on the implementation of Articles 6 and 8 by involving in a more regular and systematic fashion organizations already concerned with the collection and dissemination of such information;

8. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a paper for consideration by the next meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, identifying existing conventions and other international agreements relevant to the implementation of the various paragraphs of Article 8;

9. Recommends the development of a thematic approach in the further compilation and dissemination of information on the implementation of Articles 6 and 8 and commends the inclusion of the following work areas within this approach:

(a) Methodologies to evaluate and mitigate threats to biological diversity;

(b) Ways to suppress or mitigate perverse or negative incentives having a deleterious effect on biological diversity;

(c) Alien species; and

(d) Protected areas;

10. Encourages the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment and the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union to continue their efforts to develop a global strategy and action plan to deal with the problem of alien invasive species; 11. Decides that the first national reports referred to in decision II/17 should be submitted no later than 1 January 1998, taking into account decision III/25 of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties on the date and venue of its next meeting.

11. Decides that the first national reports referred to in decision II/17 should be submitted no later than 1 January 1998, taking into account decision III/25 of the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties on the date and venue of its next meeting.