In-depth review of the programme of work on island biodiversity

After two years of review which started after COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan, the revision of the special work programme for islands within the Convention on Biodiversity was adopted at COP 11 in Hyderabad.

“This programme of work is not only about biodiversity of SIDS, the economies and peoples. This programme is about islands as ecosystems of global significance,” stated Dr. Spencer Thomas of Grenada during the agenda item on the programme of work on island biodiversity (PoWIB). This discussion resulted in a decision to adopt the recommendations from the review of the PoWIB (Decision XI/15) which is a momentous opportunity for islands to continue their work as leaders in achieving the Aichi Targets.

During discussion on the agenda item strong statements of support were made for the revisions to the programme of work by island Parties from all three major island regions of the Pacific, Caribbean and AIMS (African and Indian Ocean SIDS) as well as from Parties with islands including the, Australia, New Zealand and negotiating groups such as the SIDS group, European Union, and others. The recommendations recognize that islands have made significant progress towards the Aichi Targets but emphasizes that much remains to be done.

The full Decision XI/15 is available here.

To showcase the progress of islands in implementing the programme of work on island biodiversity, the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) coordinated “Island Innovations”, a one day summit that demonstrated the global leadership and rapid progress of island countries and countries with islands in addressing environmental and poverty challenges.

The GLISPA Event Spotlight: Island Innovations can be read here.