WGRI 2 - Poster Session on "NBSAPs and the 2010 Biodiversity Target"

A poster session was launched at the opening reception on Monday, 9 July 2007, on the theme of "implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and their contribution to the 2010 Biodiversity Target". This theme had been selected in order to contribute to the focus of the Working Group itself which was the in-depth review of the implementation of Goals 2 and 3 of the Strategic Plan, including NBSAPs.

Parties prepared posters in accordance with guidelines prepared by the Secretariat, and an online poster generation tool developed by GTZ. Submissions illustrated ways in which the Convention, through NBSAPs, is implemented at national levels. This session was very well received by delegates and offered an important opportunity for countries to share national experiences with planning, updating, and mainstreaming NBSAPs.

Canada, India, Mexico, and Thailand provided multiple submissions. Canada submitted a bilingual entry, and Mexico subsequently translated both posters into English and submitted the files electronically for posting on the CBD website. It is interesting to note that two Parties (Lebanon and Namibia) submitted posters even though they were not able to attend the meeting, indicating not only a commitment to the work of the Working Group on Review of Implementation, but also a strong interest in sharing their national experiences and achievements.

Many of the issues discussed in plenary during the Working Group, as well as within the context of side events, were reflected in the diverse range of poster submissions. While all submissions utilized the 11 goals under the 2010 Biodiversity Target as a standard reference frame, individual posters focused on several key issues including:

mainstreaming and the link to sustainable development and sectoral engagement;
NBSAP planning processes;
evaluating, monitoring, revising, and updating NBSAPs;
achievements related to terrestrial and marine protected areas;
integration into national planning and the subsequent implementation of the ecosystem approach;
legal frameworks for implementing the Convention;
application of CBD thematic programmes and cross-cutting issues such as agrobiodiversity, ABS, biosafety, and education and public awareness; and
sub-national biodiversity planning.

There were several posters that focused specifically on the issue of sub-national implementation. India submitted three posters on state-level experiences in developing and implementing biodiversity strategies and action plans in Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh states. One of Mexico’s two submissions was on the national approach of encouraging states to develop individual BSAPs. Issues related to sub-national implementation were the focus of the side events organized by Canada and Mexico. This theme was also raised several times in plenary.