This UNCTAD report discusses experience with and potential for developing sustainable environment management (SEM) practices, such as BioTrade, in Latin America.
It makes recommendations regarding: the enabling policy environment for biodiversity-based business sectors; facilitating access to markets and finance; strengthening skills and knowledge; enhancing production facilities, equipment and natural capital; and measuring biodiversity's impact and value.
May 2012: The UN Conference on Trade and Sustainable Development (UNCTAD) has published a report on trade and biodiversity in Latin America, focusing on experiences under the UNCTAD BioTrade framework. BioTrade includes principles and criteria to promote trade and investment in biological resources to further sustainable development, in line with the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The paper makes recommendations for upscaling BioTrade in Latin America.
The report illustrates the potential of developing sustainable environment management (SEM) practices in countries rich in biological resources to generate business opportunities, growth and sustainable livelihoods for rural populations, while allowing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Latin America. It presents a number of case studies on experiences of BioTrade practitioners and programmes at the national, regional and international levels, such as small and medium enterprises, multinational corporations, financial entities and clusters.
The report also includes an overview of the BioTrade Initiative and its outcomes in Latin America, as well as a discussion of the market potential of biodiversity-based products and the value-chain approach as a way to capture this potential.
The final section presents conclusions on: upscaling BioTrade in Latin America; developing policy frameworks; developing biodiversity-based sectors; and private sector engagement. A set of concrete recommendations addresses: the enabling policy environment for biodiversity-based business sectors; facilitating access to markets and finance; strengthening skills and knowledge; enhancing production facilities, equipment and natural capital; and measuring the impact and value of biodiversity. [Publication: Trade and Biodiversity: The BioTrade Experience in Latin America]