CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal: Building on Relevance

Rapid urbanization, Industrialization and intensive agriculture practices are the key drivers of global biodiversity loss. To prevent the rampage loss of biodiversity local authorities, Government organisations, NGOs, Academic institutions have a come with common goal of conservation of biodiveristy, along with awareness. CSIR-NEERI one of prestigious and eminent institution in the field of environmental understands the relevance and seriousness of the biodiversity conservation and awareness. This seriousness drove us to create this user interactive and citizen friendly CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal. This will not only generate awareness about our surrounding biodiversity but also would help us to plan ways in conserving their habitat, and numbers.
Before you know more about this portal and it's wider application it will be worth understanding the scenario and ongoing developments. These international developments include various meetings and treaties for conservation of Biodiversity, Sustainable management of Biodiversity and Equitable sharing of benefits of Biodiversity. Among all above stated reasons at very first instance these all include not only tangible but also intangible benefits of biodiversity that supports and enhances ecosystem services for all. It all started by the Historical Earth summit or also known as United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the Rio Summit and Rio Conference a major United Nations conference that was held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.

1. Climate Change (UNFCCC)
2. Biodiversity (CBD)
3. Sustainable Development (RIO+20)

The Parties (Countries) under Convention of Biodiversity (CBD), and Climate Change (UNFCCC) meet at regular interval. These meetings are called Conference of Parties (COP). Earth Summit led to formation of three major focus areas and regular Conference of Parties (COP) for CBD meet almost every two year while COP for UNFCCC for decision making and agreement of certain issues and points happens every year.

1. Biodiversity protection under Convention of Biodiversity
There has been three major protocols under CBD meetings held so far till COP-10 at Nagoya, Japan
CBD (Cartagena + AICHI + Nagoya)
COP-10 under CBD
As we are to discuss and understand more on Biodiversity Conservation and Capacity building as a Knowledge Resource we would directly understand about Aichi Targets and Conservation Targets that were planned during COP-10 that happened at Aichi precinct (district) of Nagoya, Japan. This COP-10 gave birth to two things:

1. Nagoya Protocol on Genetic Resources
2. Aichi Targets for biodiversity

Aichi Targets

Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) for Convention on Biodiversity was held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 18 to 29 October 2010 during the International Year of Biodiversity. The parties agreed that previous biodiversity protection targets are not achieved, so we need to do come up with new plans and targets.

TimeFrame	Plan
By 2050	Mid/Long term
By 2020	Short term

This short term plan is officially known as "Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020". It is a ten-year framework for action by all countries to save biodiversity. This short term plan provide a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets, collectively known as the Aichi Targets.
Aichi Targets= 20 targets, divided into 5 sections (A to E).

Strategic goal A

Address the causes of biodiversity loss
1. Make people aware about the values of biodiversity
2. Integrated biodiversity values in development + poverty reduction plan
3. Subsidies which are harmful to biodiversity and eliminate them, phase them out or reform them
4. Sustainable production and consumption.

Strategic goal B

Reduce the direct pressure on biodiversity and promote sustainable use
1. Reduce the rate of natural habitat loss + forest loss by at least 50%
2. Reduce overfishing
3. Agriculture, aquaculture and forestry in sustainable manner
4. Reduce pollution and excessive use of fertiliser
5. Prevent invasive alien species (non-native)
6. Minimise the choral reflow destruction, ocean acidification

Strategic goal C

Safeguard ecosystems, species and genetic diversity
1. Conserve terrestrial and inland water, coastal - marine areas
2. Prevent extinction of threatened species
3. Maintain genetic diversity of agro-plants, domesticated animals and minimising genetic erosion

Strategic goal D

Biodiversity benefits to all
1. Safeguard ecosystems for women, tribals, and poor.
2. Combat desertification and restore the degraded ecosystem
3. Operationalise the nagoya protocol on genetic resources, via national legislations
CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal is being developed to contribute substantially and achieve Goal E

Strategic goal E

Participatory planning, capacity building
1. National biodiversity strategy and action plans - update for participation
2. Integrate the knowledge of tribal communities
3. Scientific and technological knowledge sharing application
4. Financial resources mobilisation

For additional details, refer to official site: http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/ ; http://www.cbd.int and more about National Efforts of National Biodiversity Authority and The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 of India at http://www.nbaindia.org/ and http://bamu.ac.in/dept/zoology/3.%20The%20biological%20Diversity%20act,%202002.pdf

CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal taps it's feet with rising local, regional and global concerns and issues related to conservation of biodiversity. Portal is planned to become a successful effort for endorsing the need of local and community participation efforts at all levels and that starts from individual level first from every home. NBP initiates to become a foundation stone for conserving and managing urban biodiversity at first hand and become an active forum for environmental education for all. Effort believes in "a long journey that is started with a single step" and CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal is going to be first in the direction.