Environment ministers and senior officials of the European Union met in Strömstad, Sweden, with a view to contributing to the revision of the Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) after 2010.

At a High-level Meeting entitled “Visions for Biodiversity Beyond 2010 – People, Ecosystems and the Climate Crisis,” held from 7-9 September 2009, participants endorsed a target to halt global forest cover loss by 2030 and to reduce gross tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020 compared to current levels. They further agreed on strategic principles on ecosystem services, a global vision for biodiversity, and climate change and sustainable development. The principles pointed to the need to increase ecosystems’ resilience to threats from climate change and to use “REDD+” (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) to create synergies between biodiversity, climate change and development policies, including the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
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Chair’s conclusions