May 16, 2012
The progressive disappearance of seed-dispersing animals like elephants and rhinoceroses puts the structural integrity and biodiversity of the tropical forest of South-East Asia at risk. With the help of Spanish researchers, an international team of experts has confirmed that not even herbivores like tapirs can replace them.
“Megaherbivores act as the ‘gardeners’ of humid tropical forests: They are vital to forest regeneration and maintain its structure and biodiversity...
May 8, 2012
The sixteenth session of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) convened from 30 April – 5 May 2012 in Montreal, Canada, directly prior to the fourth meeting of the Ad hoc Working Group on the Review of Implementation of the Convention (WGRI). More than 400 representatives from governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, indigenous and local communities, business and academia...
May 3, 2012
Two new species of frogs and 229 recorded flora species were discovered in Southern Leyte late last year. Mundita Lim, head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), said the frogs belong to the genus Platymantis.
Lim said the month-long ground surveys in Southern Leyte – covering the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Sogod, Maasin, Tomas Oppus and Malitbog – also recorded a total of 229 floral species (31...
May 2, 2012
Sixteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice under the Convention on Biological Diversity (SBSTTA 16) delegates met in two working groups (WGs) throughout the day. WG I held discussions on biodiversity and climate change, including REDD+ safeguards and geo-engineering; biofuels; incentive measures and collaborative work on forests, agriculture and health. Informal groups met in the evening on several of these issues to draft revised text.
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May 1, 2012
This workshop is being convened by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), The World Bank, the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the Economic Commission (EC), in association with the co-chairs from India and Sweden of the Quito informal Dialogue Seminar on Scaling up Finance for Biodiversity held from 6-9 March 2012. The aim is to build on the Quito discussions and related discussions in WGRI-4 to examine in further depth the salient issues associated with...
April 30, 2012
Germany’s development cooperation arm GIZ and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have joined hands for the Biodiversity and Climate Change Project (BCCP), an initiative that will enhance capacities of ASEAN Member States to mitigate climate change through biodiversity conservation. The five-year BCCP project targets to benefit the vulnerable population of ASEAN Member States who depend on ecosystem services and biodiversity resources for their subsistence. It provides a venue towards...
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is a study that provides an assessment of the economic impacts associated with losing natural capital. The study outlines the cost of policy inaction and finds that under a “business as usual” scenario, a year’s natural capital loss would lead to a loss of ecosystem services worth around US$ 2 to 4.5 trillion over a 50-year period. The TEEB also describes in economic terms the deep links between eliminating poverty and conserving...
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study has drawn international attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity and the high costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystems degradation. Since the completion of the TEEB study, a number of international fora have been initiated by international conservation organizations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as well as business...
April 26, 2012
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed the Biodiversity Assessment of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) pilot area at Mt. Nacolod in the province of Southern Leyte. The project study coordinated by DENR 8 and PENRO Southern Leyte was also participated by the local universities and representatives from the local government units.
DENR 8 Regional Executive Director Rogelio T. Trinidad said a presentation...
April 24, 2012
The Fourth Meeting of the Working Group on the Review of Implementation will be held back-to-back with the Sixteenth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice.
The Working group will discuss the following items, as agreed through decision X/45:
- Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including:
- Message to the United Nations Conference...