Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Sights Set on Biodiversity

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 30 2006 (IPS) - Brazil's Ministry of Environment is distributing a guide to promote participation in the eighth conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mar. 20-31 in the southern city of Curitiba.

Brazil — which heads the Convention — is pushing for an international agreement on access to genetic resources and distribution of their benefits, that protects mega-diverse countries, ministry advisor Tony Gross explained to Tierramérica.

The Convention, established in 1992, is intended to prevent the extinction of 5,200 animal and 34,000 endangered plant species.

The meeting in Curitiba, which is expected to draw 5,000 people from 187 countries, will see debate on international rules on biopiracy, a program to protect forests and a new initiative for oceanic islands, whose biodiversity is threatened by the rising sea levels of climate change, said Gross.