2010 Biodiversity Target

Background

In April 2002, the Parties to the Convention committed themselves to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth.

This target was subsequently endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations General Assembly and was incorporated as a new target under the Millennium Development Goals.

The Conference of the Parties has considered the 2010 Target during deliberations on the Convention’s Stragic Plan during its 6th, 7th 8th and 9th meetings. At COP 9, the Parties further considered the evaluation of the Strategic Plan beyond 2010 in it’s Decision IX/9.

Assessing Progress Toward the 2010 Target

Global Biodiversity Outlook is the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Preparations are currently underway for the production of its third edition. Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 will be formally launched in 2010, the year proclaimed as the International Year of Biodiversity.
Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 assesses the current status and trends of biodiversity and the key drivers of biodiversity loss.

  • The full text of the Global Biodiversity Outlook 2 is available here: English (PDF 8Mb)

The Conference of the Parties (COP) agreed on a provisional list of global headline indicators, to assess progress at the global level towards the 2010 target (decision VII/30), and to effectively communicate trends in biodiversity related to the three objectives of the Convention.

In decision VIII/15, the COP distinguished between:

  • indicators considered ready for immediate testing and use (green),
  • indicators confirmed as requiring more work (red)

Table: Provisional Indicators for Assessing Progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity Target

Focal AreaIndicators
  • Status and trends of the components of biological diversity
  • Trends in extent of selected biomes, ecosystems, and habitats
  • Trends in abundance and distribution of selected species
  • Coverage of protected areas
  • Change in status of threatened species
  • Trends in genetic diversity of domesticated animals, cultivated plants, and fish species of major socioeconomic importance
  • Sustainable use
  • Area of forest, agricultural and aquaculture ecosystems under sustainable management
  • Proportion of products derived from sustainable sources
  • Ecological footprint and related concepts
  • Threats to biodiversity
  • Nitrogen deposition
  • Trends in invasive alien species
  • Ecosystem integrity and ecosystem goods and services
  • Marine Trophic Index
  • Water quality of freshwater ecosystems
  • Trophic integrity of other ecosystems
  • Connectivity / fragmentation of ecosystems
  • Incidence of human-induced ecosystem failure
  • Health and well-being of communities who depend directly on local ecosystem goods and services
  • Biodiversity for food and medicine
  • Status of traditional knowledge, innovations and Practices
  • Status and trends of linguistic diversity and numbers of speakers of indigenous languages
  • Other indicator of the status of indigenous and traditional knowledge
  • Status of access and benefit-sharing
  • Indicator of access and benefit-sharing
  • Status of resource transfers
  • Official development assistance provided in support of the Convention
  • Indicator of technology transfer

The second edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook makes use of the indicators and provides a clear presentation of the trends of biodiversity loss.

Development of the indicators

In decision VII/30 the COP established a process for testing and developing the indicators, with inputs from SBSTTA, the ad hoc Working Groups on ABS and Article 8(j), and an AHTEG on indicators for assessing progress towards the 2010 biodiversity target. The work of the AHTEG (Montreal, 19 – 22 October 2004) was prepared by an electronic discussion forum in which a series of task forces commented on possible indicators and lead organziations. The AHTEG meeting was preceded by a Liaison Group meeting (Montreal, 18 October 2004) in which representatives of possible lead organizations on individual indicators discussed strategies for supporting the process. The organizations are now members of the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, established at the initiative of UNEP-WCMC and with funding from the GEF.

Source: CBD Website