. Inland water biological diversity

Inland water biological diversity

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,

Noting with appreciation the fruitful cooperation between the Secretariat and organizations, institutions, and conventions working on topics related to inland water biological diversity in the implementation of general activities pertaining to the programme of work on inland water biological diversity,

Noting the need to broaden this cooperation by involving organizations and activities such as the Global International Waters Assessment, the Global Action Plan on Peatlands, the World Resources Institute, as well as to take into account, as appropriate, the finalized Water Policy Strategy of the United Nations Environment Programme, and to make use of the experience of organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and IUCN-The World Conservation Union in the development of databases and in the identification of indicators for inland water biological diversity,

Noting also the need to cooperate, as appropriate, with other non-governmental organizations developing activities relevant to the programme of work,

Recommends that the Conference of the Parties at its fifth meeting:

1. Notes the various ways and means to implement the programme of work on inland water biological diversity and obstacles in implementing some aspects of the work plan of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;

2. Endorses the proposed joint work plan 2000-2001 of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/5/INF/12), bearing in mind that not all Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are Parties to the Ramsar Convention;

3. Encourages Parties to address the lack of information on the status of inland water biological diversity at the national level and to include this information in their national reports;

4. Requests the Executive Secretary to compile systematically information on the implementation of the programme of work on inland water biological diversity for dissemination through the clearing-house mechanism and to report on it as part of the review of the work programme that the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice will carry out at its eighth meeting;

5. Invites relevant organizations and activities, in particular the Global International Waters Assessment, to contribute to the assessment of inland water biological diversity and to fully integrate a biological diversity component in its methodology protocol.