8 June 2015: The ‘Sourcebook of Opportunities for Enhancing Cooperation among the Biodiversity-related Conventions at National and Regional Levels’ was officially launched during an event organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on the sidelines of the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 12) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on 8 June 2015. The Sourcebook uses 63 illustrative examples to showcase how individual countries and regional groups are realizing benefits from working collaboratively.

The case studies in the Sourcebook demonstrate, for example, how National Focal Points (NFPs) of the Biodiversity-related Conventions are working together to pool resources, draw on each other’s expertise, reduce duplication and make joint funding bids, in relation to six core themes: institutional arrangements; information management and reporting; the science-policy interface; capacity building; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and related Aichi Biodiversity Targets and National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans (NBSAPs); and financial resource mobilization and utilization.

The Sourcebook was developed as part of a UNEP project funded by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland that aimed to provide NFPs and other stakeholders with options to achieve enhanced implementation through strengthened cooperation. It focuses on six global Conventions: the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS); the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention); the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (WHC); the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA); and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

During the launch event, delegates further considered the linkages between the UNEP Sourcebook and two Ramsar COP 12 outputs: a draft resolution that urges Contracting Parties “to take active steps at national level to improve regular liaison and collaboration among the focal points of related conventions and agreements, including as appropriate through their inclusion in National Ramsar/Wetland Committee;” and considerations by the Strategic Plan Working Group on mechanisms to enhance the visibility and stature of the Ramsar Convention and increase synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements and international entities. [Sourcebook Announcement] [Publication: Sourcebook of Opportunities for Enhancing Cooperation Among the Biodiversity-Related Conventions at National and Regional Levels] [Ramsar COP 12 Side Events]