July 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated the ninth issue of [square brackets], the CBD newsletter for civil society, with a special focus on progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The message by CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, titled ‘Preparing for Pyeongchang,’ summarizes recent activities under the CBD in preparation for twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to be held 6-17 October, 2014 in Pyeongchang, the Republic of Korea. The Message from the Board of the CBD Alliance focuses on the CBD’s importance to poverty eradication.

Other articles address: efforts to protect coral reefs in the Western and Indian oceans; the engagement of recreational boaters to prevent alien species invasions through marine debris; the eradication of alien invasive species on Macquarie Island; an assessment of rattan and bamboo for sustaining a thriving cottage industry; the implementation of Aichi Target 3 on subsidies harmful to biodiversity in the livestock sector; finance for biodiversity; and standards for biofuel subsidies.

Published by the CBD Secretariat in cooperation with the Biodiversity Alliance, [square brackets] is a newsletter that aims to present a diversity of civil society opinions. The launch of this issue coincides with the fifth meeting of the Working Group on the Review of Implementation (WGRI 5) and the eighteenth meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 18), held in June 2014 in Montreal, Canada.[Publication: [square brackets] Issue 9, July 2014]