XII/6. Guidance on strengthening the assessment of the 2010 biodiversity target in dry and sub-humid lands and proposals for land-use options that promote biodiversity and generate income for indigenous and local communities
1. The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice recommends that the Conference of the Parties at its ninth meeting:
(a) Invites relevant organizations and donor agencies to provide technical and financial support to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition, to identify and conduct land use options for dry and sub-humid lands that promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and generate income for indigenous and local communities including through involving private sector and public partnerships;
(b) Encourages Parties to consider land-use options, drawing on ecosystem approach, that promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and generate income for indigenous and local communities;
(c) Requests the Executive Secretary, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and other relevant organizations and collaborators to:
(i) Compile and publish a list of case studies on scientific and technical knowledge including traditional knowledge regarding the management, and sustainable use of the biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands;
(ii) Carry out a feasibility study for the development of a tool-kit to support the efforts of local and indigenous communities with regard to: sustainable pastoralism, adapted agricultural practices, control of soil erosion, valuation of natural resources, water and land-use management and carbon capture;
(iii) Prepare a compilation of experiences in the field of adaptation to climate change, soil management and pastoralism in dry and sub-humid lands;
(d) Further requests the Executive Secretary to explore, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations the means to strengthen the collaboration in pastoralism and agricultural use of dry and sub-humid lands in line with paragraph 11 (c) of decision VIII/2, and to produce a report on the actions that have already been undertaken and actions that needs to be carried out, taking into account the specific needs of dry and sub-humid lands and the people living in these lands, for further consideration by SBSTTA at one of its meetings prior to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
2. The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice requests the Executive Secretary to undertake the following activities and to report to the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties on progress achieved:
(a) In view of the lack of a common definition of dry and sub-humid lands, to work with relevant collaborators, in particular with the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to clarify the areas under question with a view to harmonizing the delineation of dry and sub-humid lands, using the UNEP/WCMC work on the definitions and delineations of dry and sub-humid lands under the Convention and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to facilitate the undertaking of global status and trends assessment;
(b) To strengthen collaboration on assessment of status, trends and threats to the biological diversity in dry and sub-humid lands with:
(i) The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, recalling that assessment is one of the three elements of the joint programme of work agreed by the secretariats of the two conventions;
(ii) The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change giving due consideration to climate-change-related issues; and
(iii) The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other partners and relevant organizations in pursuance of paragraph 11 (d) of decision VIII/2 of the Conference of the Parties;
(c) In pursuance of paragraph 5 of decision VIII/2, to liaise with relevant partners on activities necessary to fill gaps in information and data related to establishing baselines prior to the assessment of the achievement towards the 2010 target, bearing in mind the additional resources required to fill such gaps, and the need to take a pragmatic approach to overcome gaps noting that it is unlikely to be feasible to provide baseline data and information for all of the indicators contained in decision VII/30.
