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In 2010, the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed to an ambitious set of 20 targets, called the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as part of their commitment to the CBD Strategic Plan. One of the Targets (target 17) called for each country to revise its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) in accordance with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. From 2010 to November 2016, virtually all countries have revised, or are currently completing the revision of, their NBSAP.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is committed to supporting Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in their efforts to achieving the Strategic Plan of Biodiversity (2011-2020) and the Aichi biodiversity targets.

The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are seen as key entry points for enhancing synergies and cooperation among the key biodiversity related conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Convention on Migratory Species of wild fauna (CMS), the World Heritage Convention (WHC), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the International Plan Protection Convention (IPPC). With close of one hundred countries currently finalizing their NBSAPs that serve as key national policy documents concerning biodiversity, this paper attempts to provide specific guidance to countries on ways and means to integrate synergistic actions across key biodiversity conventions. This paper builds on UNEP actions promoting synergies and cooperation among the biodiversity Conventions, including the 'Options Paper' that has been published in 2016 and various Decisions of governing bodies of the conventions calling for synergies.

Marine litter poses serious environmental, health, and economic threats to oceans and coastal ecosystems. It also presents a unique legal and regulatory challenge for many nation States (hereinafter States), as it can originate from diverse land-based and sea-based sources both within and outside of a State. While the full magnitude of the problem can be difficult to ascertain, some estimates suggesting that an average of 8 million tons of plastic waste entered the ocean in 2010, and this figure has been projected to increase.

The Asia Pacific region is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. The tropical forests of South East Asia, the reefs of the ‘coral triangle’, the temperate forests and the large river basins found in the region are among the most unique on Earth. However, biodiversity in the Asia Pacific region is in fast decline. For example, the region recorded the world’s highest number of threatened species in 2014 and extensive coastal development and unsustainable exploitation of marine resources have resulted in the disappearance of over 40 percent of coral reefs and mangroves, leading to declines in fish stocks.

Information sheet on the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML).

Across the world, multiple drivers of change are causing the degradation, fragmentation and loss of natural habitats on land and in the world’s oceans. As a result, important conservation areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services are becoming increasingly isolated within a matrix of human dominated landscapes and seascapes. This isolation can prevent the movement of organisms essential for the maintenance of biodiversity and disrupt ecological processes necessary for the provision of vital ecosystem services. Fragmentation and degradation also reduce options for adapting to global change, thereby undermining resilience of ecosystems and people.

Factsheet on the links between the Aichi biodiversity targets, NBSAPs and objectives of the framework for nature conservation and protected areas in the Pacific islands region.

Recognizing the value of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) and other transboundary water systems (open ocean, groundwater aquifers, lakes and reservoirs, and river basins), their continued degradation, the fragmented approach to their management, and the need for better prioritization of interventions, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) embarked on the Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP) from 2009 to 2015. TWAP objectives were to undertake global assessments of the five transboundary water systems to assist GEF and other international organizations set priorities for interventions; and develop formal institutional partnerships for periodic assessments of these systems.