Introduction
The
eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 8) was held from 20-31 March 2006 at the Convention and Exhibition Center (Expo Trade) in Curitiba, Brazil.
The main outcome of the meeting included giving a new impetus to the Convention, and an agreement on a "roadmap" to achieve the
2010 Biodiversity Target to significantly reduce the rate of loss of biological diversity by 2010, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals.
Other outcomes of the meeting included:
- further development on the negotiation of an international regime on access and benefit-sharing, one of the three pillars of the Convention;
- the adoption of a set of measures and objectives for the protection and sustainable use of the vulnerable biodiversity of islands;
- review of progress and agreement on future priorities for the preservation, maintenance and promotion of traditional knowledge relevant to biological diversity;
- agreement on the second phase of a work programme on dry and sub-humid lands taking into account the international year on deserts and desertification;
- further advancement of the scientific work of the Convention on taxonomy within the framework of a global partnership;
- adoption of new initiatives to raise awareness globally on the seriousness and grave consequences of the biodiversity crisis.
The final report of the meeting is available
here.