Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
Recommends that the Conference of the Parties, at its seventh meeting:
(a) Notes
with satisfaction the progress achieved in the further development and implementation of the Strategy in line with decision VI/9;
(b) Expresses appreciation to the organizations that are facilitating stakeholder consultations in relation to the various targets of the Strategy, and to Botanic Gardens Conservation International for supporting the process of developing and implementing the Strategy, including through the secondment of a Programme Officer to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
(c) Welcomes the establishment of the global partnership for plant conservation and encourages the participating organizations to continue to contribute to the implementation of the Strategy, invites other organizations to join the partnership, and encourages Botanic Gardens Conservation International to continue its support for the partnership;
(d) Welcomes the establishment, by the Executive Secretary, of a flexible coordination mechanism for the Strategy, comprising: liaison groups to be convened as necessary according to established procedures; national focal points, as determined by Parties; the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation; and the Secretariat, including the Programme Officer supported by Botanic Gardens Conservation International;
(e) Invites the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme to support the Executive Secretary in monitoring implementation of the Strategy, working in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation;
(f) Encourages Parties to nominate focal points for the Strategy, or designate from among existing focal points, in order to:
(i) Promote and facilitate implementation and monitoring of the Strategy at national level, including the identification of national targets and their integration in national biodiversity strategies and action plans and sectoral and cross-sectoral plans programmes and activities;
(ii) Promote the participation of national stakeholders in the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy at national level; and
(iii) Facilitate communication between national stakeholders and the Secretariat and Global Partnership for Plant Conservation;
(g) Requests the Executive Secretary, with the support of members of the global partnership for plant conservation, to elaborate proposals for a toolkit, including a checklist to assist Parties in integrating the targets into their strategies, plans and programmes, for review by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
(h) Decides to integrate the targets of the Strategy into all the thematic and relevant cross-cutting programmes of work of the Convention, and, in particular, to integrate:
(i) Target 1 into the Global Taxonomy Initiative;
(ii) Targets 4 and 5 into the programme of work on protected areas;
(iii) Target 10 into work on invasive alien species;
(iv) Targets 11, 12 and 13 in the work on sustainable use;
(v) Targets 9 and 13 into work on Article 8(j) and related provisions;
(vi) Target 14 into the programme for communication, education and public awareness; and
(vii) Targets 6, 9 and 12 into the thematic programmes for agricultural biodiversity and forest biodiversity;
(i) Emphasizes that, in line with paragraphs 3, 4, 6 and 7 of decision VI/9, the Strategy is to be implemented in a flexible way, and with due regard to the need for capacity building in identifying and achieving national targets, particularly in developing countries, especially the least developed and small island States among them, and countries with economies in transition;
(j) Decides to integrate the targets of the Strategy into the reporting framework for the third national reports;
(k) Welcomes the decisions of the Conference of the Parties and Plants Committee of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) to consider how they can contribute to the implementation of the Strategy, especially regarding target 11 ("No species of wild flora endangered by international trade");
(l) Invites the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to consider how the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture contributes to the implementation of the Strategy, in particular target 9 ("70 per cent of the genetic diversity of crops and other major socio-economically valuable plant species conserved, and associated indigenous and local knowledge maintained").
25 / The concept was described by Professor Christian Korner, Professor of Botany at the University of Basel and Chairman of the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment in his keynote presentation at the eighth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice in March 2003 as follows: The upland-lowland contract concept establishes joint responsibilities between lowlanders and uplanders. Under this concept, uplanders would, for example, be responsible for taking care of the fragile upland mountain landscape to reduce potential impacts on lowlanders. In return, lowlanders may be able to provide uplanders with the products of lowland cultivated areas (food and other resources).
