In 1992, at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was signed by more than 150 countries, and came into force on December 29, 1993. All Arctic countries have signed the Convention, and all have ratified it
except the U.S.A. The convention has three objectives:
- the conservation of biological diversity
- the sustainable use of biological resources
- and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources
In recognition of the fact that the objectives of CAFF and the CBD are complementary to each other and that most of CAFF's projects directly address conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, the Arctic Council tasked CAFF to develop an Arctic strategy relating to the goals of the CBD. The outcome of this work is the Cooperative Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Arctic Region. In addition to providing strategic direction relating to the goals of the CBD, it is part of the overall conservation framework for CAFF.
The goals of the strategy are to:
- support the conservation of Arctic biological diversity, including the diversity of ecosystems, species, populations and their habitats, and genetic resources. When Arctic biological resources are used, the use should be at levels that are sustainable and meet the needs of local and Indigenous peoples and do not adversely affect other ecosystem components
- promote the participation of local and Indigenous peoples in the development and implementation of policies and programs relating to the conservation of Arctic biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources.
- develop and improve public education and awareness programs that promote the conservation of Arctic biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources
The actions identified to reach these goals include:
- identification of Arctic biological diversity
- monitoring of Arctic biological diversity
- species and habitat conseravation and restoration
- identification of threats
- environmental impact assessments
- protected areas
- conservation outside protected areas
- collaborative research
- sustainable use of biological resources
- sectoral and cross-sectoral integration of data and information sharing
- harmonization of legislation
- Indigenous and other local peoples participation
- education and public awareness
The Cooperative Strategy for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Arctic Region, called for enhanced monitoring and marked a significant starting point for CAFF's monitoring work.
