Namibian Press Conference at COP-11

On 16 October, 2012, Natural Justice’s Laureen Manuel attended a press conference held by the Namibian Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Hyderabad, India. In addressing international media and other COP-11 delegates, the Honourable Minister of Environment and Tourism, Ms Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, shared the country’s experiences, challenges and successes in establishing and implementing its Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme. 

She said that the CBNRM programme is a powerful symbol of the potential for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to alleviate poverty. Through the devolution of rights over wildlife and forest resources, indigenous peoples and local communities are now driving the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through communal conservancies and community forests. During COP-11, Namibia will be receiving an award for this community-based approach to conservation. 

The Minister also said that in the absence of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) legislation, Namibia was unable to ratify the Nagoya Protocol. However, Namibia's ABS Bill, which Natural Justice helped to draft, has recently been approved by Cabinet and is ready to be tabled before Parliament for enactment. She assured the gathering that Namibia will ratify the Nagoya Protocol once the ABS Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.

She concluded the press conference stating that biodiversity belongs to all and that all nations should work towards developing similar strategies to conserve the environment. After all, she said, we need the environment more than the environment needs us.

CBD Secretariat Hosts Colloquium on ICCAs and Aichi Targets

Participants of national conference on ICCAs in the 

Philippines, which took place in March 2012. Photo via

iccaforum.org.

According to a notification of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Indigenous peoples’ and local community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) provide multiple ecological, cultural and biodiversity values, contribute greatly to food and water security and other ecosystem processes, and help achieve the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and Aichi Biodiversity Targets. ICCAs play a critical role in ensuring access and respecting rights to customary sustainable use and facilitating inter-generational communication of traditional environmental knowledge, innovations and practices. The Secretariat continues by noting that ICCAs are increasingly recognised as the living embodiment of both Articles 8(j) and 10(c) of the CBD.

In an effort to support implementation of these Articles and several past CBD decisions, on 13 October at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11), the CBD Secretariat co-hosted a one-day colloquium on the role of ICCAs in achieving the 2011-2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, along with the governments of Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Senegal, and South Africa, the ICCA Consortium, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, and Conservation International.

The colloquium was opened by the Deccan Development Society and several Dalit farmers, who gave a spiritual blessing and spoke about the challenges they have faced on the road to securing food sovereignty. Opening remarks were given by the following esteemed speakers: Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias (Executive Secretary, CBD); Delfin Ganapin (Global Coordinator, GEF Small Grants Programme); Russell Mittermeier (President, Conservation International); Taghi Farvar (President, ICCA Consortium); and Trevor Sandwith (Director, IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme). Following a presentation by John Scott and Sarat Gidda (CBD Secretariat) on the linkages between ICCAs and global policy, Ashish Kothari (Kalpavriksh) gave a keynote address on a global study compiled by the ICCA Consortium, Kalpavriksh, Natural Justice, and IUCN-TILCEPA on legal and non-legal forms of recognition and support for ICCAs. The study was published as Technical Series Volume 64 by the CBD Secretariat. (A complementary global study coordinated by Natural Justice and Kalpavriksh on behalf of the ICCA Consortium focused in more depth on legal and institutional aspects of recognizing and supporting ICCAs and is available online.)

The rest of the colloquium consisted of three engaging panels that highlighted experiences and lessons learned from Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Each panel was chaired by a government representative from the respective region and included presentations by Indigenous peoples, NGOs, and governments.

The CBD Secretariat's official notification of the colloquium and the day's programme can be viewed here.  A summary report is available here. More information about the ICCA Consortium's engagement in COP11 can be found here.

Workshop on National Federations and Coalitions of ICCAs

Jorge Nahuel (Mapuche Tribe, Argentina) speaking about a

tri-national coalition of Indigenous peoples. Photo credit: 

Aurelie Neumann / ICCA Consortium.

On 11 October at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11), the ICCA Consortium, Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), and many local partners co-hosted a 3-hour workshop entitled “National ICCA Federations and Coalitions Ready to Take Conservation Authority and Responsibilities Towards Fulfilling the Aichi Biodiversity Targets”. The workshop shared experiences of a range of federations and coalitions of Indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) from around the world, including the Philippines, Madagascar, Nepal, India, Iran, and Argentina. Additional reflections were provided by representatives from GEF-SGP, Australia, Pakistan, Taiwan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Philippines.

Particular emphasis was placed on how federations, coalitions and related social movements are being mobilised at all levels to secure Indigenous peoples' and local communities' rights, customary territories, and ways of life. Delfin Ganapin (GEF-SGP) reminded workshop participants that because federations have the potential to challenge the political status quo, the stronger the social movements become, the more resistance they will likely face from governments and industries in power. In the words of Dave de Vera (Philippine Association for Intercultural Development), despite significant legal and policy gains, "There is still so much to be done; the struggle will always continue."

More information about the ICCA Consortium's engagement in CBD COP11 is available here.

New CBD Newsletter - Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the CBD Alliance have released a new edition of Square Brackets, the newsletter they publish jointly. This edition’s focus is on Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and includes interviews with six heads of agencies of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets Task Force. Natural Justice’s Holly Shrumm served on the editorial board for the publication. 

The interviews with the heads of the task force agencies seek to understand how their agencies are contributing to the objectives of the task force, the challenges in doing so, and how civil society, indigenous peoples, and local community organizations can work with their respective agencies in achieving the Aichi Targets. Each interview offers valuable insight into the task force’s work and areas for partnering with civil society. Other fascinating articles consider the enforcement of the CBD, the importance of input from community voices, a discussion of equitable governance and management in protected areas, and what can be expected from the 11th Conference of Parties of the CBD. 

The full newsletter can be downloaded here.

Major Report on Legal Recognition of ICCAs

Via www.iisd.ca

The ICCA Consortium, Kalpavrikshand Natural Justice launched a report entitled: Legal and Institutional Aspects of Recognising and Supporting Conservation by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at a side event at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP-11) of the CBD on 9 October, 2012 in Hyderabad, India. The publication synthesises the outputs of a report on international law and jurisprudence and 15 country-level reports. The speakers were all part of the research team, including: Souleye Ndiaye (Director of Protected Areas, Senegal), Samson Pedragosa (PAFID, the Philippines), Dau-Jye Lu (Tao Foundation, Taiwan), Neema Pathak Broome (Kalpavriksh, India), and Simone Lovera (Global Forest Coalition, Paraguay). Harry Jonas from Natural Justice introduced the report and moderated the session which was covered by Earth Negotiations Bulletin and is available here.

Legal Weight and Implementation of the CBD

Via www.iisd.ca

Natural Justice hosted a side event at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP-11) of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 8 October, 2012 in Hyderabad, India. The event emerged from a rapid assessment undertaken by Natural Justice for the CBD Alliance. Among other issues raised by the report are a) the fact that there is no clarity about the legal weight of the CBD and b) how civil society could better engage in the implementation of the CBD. In this context, the event brought together the following people to discuss the incumbent issues: Elisa Morgera (Edinburgh University), S. Faizi (India Biodiversity Forum), Gurdial Singh Nijar (Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity Law, University of Malaya), Joji Carino (Tebtebba, pictured), Chee Yoke Ling (Third World Network), Yolanda Saito (International Development Law Organization) and Frederic Perron-Welch (Centre for International Sustainable Development Law). Harry Jonas from Natural Justice introduced the report and moderated the session which was covered by Earth Negotiations Bulletin and is available here. 

India Urges Adoption of Nagoya Protocol

India has encouraged delegates at the 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-11) in Hyderabad, India, to adopt the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Protocol will  not enter into force until 50 nations ratify it. India, COP-11's chair, is also pushing for member nations to agree on a road map on the issues adopted during COP-10 two years ago in Nagoya, Japan. 

India's Minister of Forests and Environment, Jayanthi Natarajan, appealed to representatives of the 173 nations present, emphasising that future generations will not forgive a failure to preserve the earth's biodiversity. Amina Mohamed, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, called on all parties to "to step up effort for the early ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.” 

Read more here.