Indigenous Communities and Biodiversity Governance

In a press release of 9 January, the new Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Ahmed Djoghlaf, explicitly acknowledges the role of indigenous and traditional communities in giving effect to the CBD and emphasises the importance of participation in the implementation process. This is an opportunity for significant recognition of local and indigenous communities not only with respect to physical in situ conservation but also, and importantly, in the course of governance structures with respect to dealings with natural resources. Stakeholders will meet at the Working Group on Article 8(j) and the Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing, to be held in Granada, Spain 23 January to 3 February. The Eighth Conference of the Parties is due to be staged in Curitiba, Brazil, 21-31.