Science to policy linkages for the post 2010 biodiversity target

Abstract

It is increasingly widely appreciated that biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation jeopardize human well-being, both now and in the future. The Convention on Biological. Diversity, established at the Earth Summit in 1992, took this issue firmly into its remit in 2002 when governments committed to work towards an international goal to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 (Balmford et al. 2005b). The 2010 target was agreed at the session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and then adopted by the broader international community at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 in the Johannesburg Plan of implementation. In 2008 the influence of the 2010 target was further enhanced when a target for reducing biodiversity loss was added as a sub-target to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG7b) which aims to ensure environmental sustainability. The 2010 target was reflected in commitments at national and regional levels too, most notably in Brazil and Europe. It thus became an important political commitment for biodiversity conservation and management among almost all countries.session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and then adopted by the broader international community at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 in the Johannesburg Plan of implementation. In 2008 the influence of the 2010 target was further enhanced when a target for reducing biodiversity loss was added as a sub-target to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG7b) which aims to ensure environmental sustainability. The 2010 target was reflected in commitments at national and regional levels too, mostnotably in Brazil and Europe. It thus became an important political commitment for improved biodiversity conservation and management among almost all countries.