THE CONVENTION ON ...

FROM PAGE XII has been ratified by 196 countries, including Guyana, making it one of the most widely accepted international environmental agreements. The CBD is a landmark agreement that aims to conserve biodiversity, promote sustainable use of its components, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. The following are key accomplishments of the Convention:

• National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs): NBSAPs, which are national plans for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, must be created and implemented by all CBD signatories. NBSAPs, which provide a framework for national action on biodiversity, have been developed by more than 190 nations;

• Protected areas: The CBD has been instrumental in encouraging the establishment and efficient management of protected areas. Roughly 200,000 protected areas have been established as of this writing, accounting for roughly 14% of the world’s land and 7% of its oceans;

• Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): The Nagoya Protocol, a supplementary agreement to the CBD, provides a framework for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. To date, over 130 countries have ratified the Nagoya Protocol;

• Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO): CBD produces the GBO, a flagship publication that assesses progress towards achieving the Convention’s objectives. The GBO has become an important tool for policymakers, providing information on the state of biodiversity and highlighting areas for action.

• Mainstreaming biodiversity: The Convention has helped to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and to integrate it into broader policy frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. This has helped to ensure that biodiversity is taken into account in decision-making across sectors.

Here in Guyana, we have also made significant progress in implementing the Convention.

• Protected Areas: Guyana has designated over 7.5 million hectares of its land and marine areas as protected areas, covering about 20% of its land and 2% of its ocean. This includes the Kaieteur National Park, which is home to one of the world’s largest single-drop waterfall and an important biodiversity hotspot.

• Indigenous peoples and local communities: Guyana recognises the important role of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity conservation and has established Community Conservation Areas (CCAs) to support community-led conservation efforts.

• Biodiversity monitoring and research: Guyana has an established Centre for the Study of Biodiversity at the University of Guyana and a robust Biodiversity Research and Filming Process administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

• Access and Benefit Sharing: Guyana has enacted legislation to regulate access to its genetic resources and ensure that benefits from their use are shared fairly and equitably.

For more information on the CBD, visit https://www.cbd. int/

Did you know? The EPA is the National Focal Point for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Guyana, and has a number of functions including the co-ordination and maintenance of programmes for the conservation of biological diversity and its sustainable use.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O Communications, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail. com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.