***********************************************
WORLDWIDE
BIODIVERSITY/FOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS
GEF's
Biodiversity Initiatives
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Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE
The
Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the Biodiversity
Convention's
designated interim financial mechanism.
In the
following
GEF update of its activities to date, details are
provided
on their US$315 million portfolio of 57 biodiversity
projects
distributed throughout every region of the developing
world. While there is room for healthy skepticism
concerning a
large
bureacracies ability to protect biodiversity, this article
at
least details where GEF's activities are being carried out. The
materials
begin with a statement by Mohamed El-Ashry, Chief
Executive
Officer and Chairman of the GEF, and then provides brief
summaries
of GEF-Funded Biodiversity Projects.
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/**
biodiversity: 728.0 **/
**
Topic: GEF AND BIODIVERSITY **
**
Written 3:21 PM Feb 15, 1995 by gn:ipaunep in
cdp:biodiversity
**
The
following is a special supplement of the last issue for 1994
of
"OUR PLANET", the magazine of the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP):
GLOBAL
ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) and BIODIVERSITY
Mohamed
El-Ashry
Biodiversity
is like a wooden house in which we live. We have been
pulling
out a board here, a beam there, and burning them in the
hearth.
For a while we can do this without noticing a change.
Gradually,
however, the cold seeps in through the holes, and it
becomes
increasingly difficult to keep up the heat. It takes more
wood,
and yet the house gets colder. Because we do not know the
design
that keeps the house intact, we may one day remove a vital
piece
that brings the entire structure down on our heads. How many
more
boards can we afford to lose?
The
current rate of species extinction is probably more than a
thousand
times faster than at any other time in history. Turning a
few
hectares into conservation reserves will not solve the problem
either,
though it has become a vital first step. To avoid freezing
to
death, we have to stop burning our boards. While we huddle
around
the blaze, this reasoning may seem illogical. But tearing
out our
walls can in no way be considered sustainable development.
We must
remember, it is the house that protects us from the cold.
How,
then, to integrate human activity with the natural
environment?
How to develop without depleting? This is the
ultimate
challenge. The global covenant that addresses this
challenge
is the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its scope
goes
far beyond protecting this or that species, beyond promoting
ecotourism,
beyond harvesting nuts and pharmaceutical plants
instead
of chopping down forests. Biodiversity is at the centre of
all the
natural systems that support life on Earth: purifying the
waters;
recycling oxygen, carbon and other elements; maintaining
soil
fertility; providing food and medicine and safeguarding
genetic
richness for improved crops and livestock. Diversity is
the
basis for evolution, adaptation and change; and reason itself
relies
in part upon our ability to make distinctions and draw
comparisons
from the variety of the natural world.
Development
without regard to biodiversity (and the soil, rivers
and
seas which sustain it) has eroded the quality of our lives. In
the
North, the main challenge is to moderate excessive
consumption.
For the larger populations of the South, the task is
more
tangibly difficult, as many communities deplete their
environment
for the sake of survival. Acquiring knowledge of
natural
assets and developing non-destructive means for utilizing
them
can greatly reduce the harm, and can help pave the way for
policies
and education that lead to a conservation ethic. This is
where
the GEF, as the Convention's designated interim financial
mechanism,
has a special role to play in supporting its goals. In
its
pilot phase, the GEF developed a US$315 million portfolio of
57
biodiversity projects distributed throughout every region of
the
developing world (examples of the variety and scope of these
projects
can be found in the pages that follow). What is needed
now is
a broader strategic thrust, based upon national and, where
possible,
regional plans that review the array of options that can
best
preserve biodiversity and contribute to development. The GEF
is now
ready for the Convention to provide the policies and
priorities
required for the formulation of this strategy.
The
strategy that emerges may well allocate more GEF funds to
address
the root causes of the destruction of biodiversity, rather
than
invest exclusively in palliative measures to save what little
is
left. That would probably mean applying a portion of our
energies
to the large spectrum of human actions that affect
biodiversity,
including agriculture, energy, forestry, industry
and
transport. Reducing industrial pollution and relocating
industries
may well be as important as setting up protected parks
and
capacity building.
To set
and accomplish an operational strategy requires a strong
partnership
with a common purpose: to provide
local communities
with the
resources for initiatives that can accumulate to make a
global
difference. To do this well, the GEF must remain flexible.
We must
be able to respond to changed circumstances; absorb and
apply
new scientific evidence; adjust operational strategies when
new
technologies appear viable; identify new and expeditious
mechanisms
for providing assistance; and be ready to meet the
legitimate
concerns of all players.
The GEF
has been restructured so as to be democratic, universal
and
transparent, and to facilitate the maximum flow of global
resources.
It stands ready to work closely with the Convention to
help
slow the rate of destruction, repair the damage, contribute
to
sustainable development, and preserve the house for our
children's
children.
Mohamed
El-Ashry is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
GEF.
GEF-FUNDED
BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS IN THE PILOT PHASE
-- INDONESIA covers little over 1 per cent of
the Earth's
surface,
but its 17,000 islands are home to 10 per cent of Earth's
remaining
closed tropical forests, 10 per cent of its plant
species,
12 per cent of its mammals, 16 per cent of all reptile
and
amphibian species, 17 per cent of all bird species and a full
25 per
cent of the world's freshwater and marine fish. Many are
unique
to Indonesia. But probably 30 per cent of its flora and 90
per
cent of its fauna have not yet been scientifically documented.
The GEF/World
Bank's US$7.2 million Biodiversity Collections
Project
will help Indonesian scientists to inventory, catalogue
and
monitor the country's biological resources. It will provide
resources
to rehabilitate the national herbarium and zoological
collections
(the herbarium collection, with 1.6 million specimens,
is the
most important in Southeast Asia), train national
systematists
and technicians, and strengthen links with equivalent
institutions
in Europe, North America and Australia.
-- ECUADOR has established a national system of
15 protected
areas.
They include the Yasuni National Park, covering a major
part of
the Amazon Basin Pleistocene refuge, which harbours 500
species
of birds and a record number of fish species, and the
Cotacachi-Cayapas
Reserve, which is ranked among the top 10
biodiversity
'hot-spots' in the world -- half its plant species
and a
quarter of its tree species are thought to be endemic. Most
famous
of all is the Galapagos National Park, where strong
selection
pressure led to an accelerated pace of evolution:
approximately
42 per cent of its native flora, 66 per cent of its
beetles,
80 per cent of its breeding species of land birds, 90 per
cent of
its native mammals and 95 per cent of its reptiles are
endemic.
The GEF/World Bank's US$7.2 million Biodiversity
Protection
Project supports eight national parks and ecological
reserves
(including these three). It provides support to manage
them
and to strengthen the country's institutional capacity
and
legal framework.
-- Nearly two-thirds of the CONGO's vast area
is still covered in
forest.
Eleven areas have been earmarked for conservation, but
only two
of them have a conservation or management plan. Another
two
areas in the north of the country have been identified as
particularlyimportant
for conservation; if they could be added,
one-tenth
of thecountry would be protected. The GEF/World Bank's
US$10
millionWildlands Protection and Management project aims to
protect
the country's biological diversity through the systematic
planning
and coordination of conservation and the management of
five
reserves. It will identify and implement alternative
activities
for local people who at present put the reserves under
undue
pressure.
-- TURKEY, which lies at the junction of three
of the world's
major
phytogeographical regions, has more than 3,000 endemic plant
species,
some related to wheat, barley, lentils and other
important
crop species that feed the world. Plant breeders from
all
over the world use them to develop crops that are both more
productive
and more resistant to cold, drought, salinity, pests
and
disease. The GEF is financing a US$5.1 million project,
implemented
by the World Bank, to protect genetic resources and
wild
relatives of important crops and forest tree species endemic
to
Turkey. It will include surveys to assess suitable sites,
collect
a few germplasm samples for ex situ conservation, manage
selected
sites, strengthen institutions and train staff.
-- The 115 islands of SEYCHELLES evolved in
isolation for
millions
of years and some endemic species are unique to single
islands.
As a result of the isolation, much of the wildlife is
particularly
vulnerable: having evolved in stable and fragile
habitats,
the impact of humanity has caused severe declines in
populations.
The GEF is providing US$1.8 million to conserve the
biodiversity
of the region and curb sea pollution from fishing and
commercial
boats, cruise ships and yachts. The project,
implemented
by the World Bank, will focus on restoring the
threatened
ecosystem of Aldabra, and on designing facilities to
improve
the capacity of the port to handle wastes from ships.
-- A
massive infestation of the South American water hyacinth is
attacking
the rich biodiversity of COTE D'IVOIRE's waters. The
plants
also obstruct navigation, increase siltation and the
severity
of floods, harbour mosquitoes and disease-producing
snails,
and seem to enhance the survival of cholera organisms.
During
annual floods masses of the plants are washed down the
rivers
into coastal lagoons, stifling life. This is just one
example
of the wide ranging uncontrolled spread of exotic water
weeds
in the tropics, which has become a truly global problem. A
US$3
million GEF project, implemented by the United Nations
Development
Programme (UNDP), aims to beat the weeds with
biological
control agents, and by Total Catchment Management
Schemes,
which address the causes of the problem through
minimizing
land degradation and water quality deterioration.
-- Only 2 per cent of PAPUA NEW GUINEA is
covered by conservation
areas,
and more than 250,000 hectares are deforested by logging or
slash-and-burn
agriculture each year. The Government wants to
increase
the amount of protected land tenfold, but as 97 per cent
of the
land is privately owned and four-fifths of the people are
subsistence
farmers, efforts must be based on innovative
approaches
that ensure people's livelihoods as well as preserving
biodiversity.
A US$5 million GEF/UNDP project supports the
Government's
conservation strategy by helping to establish two
pilot
areas for 'integrated conservation and development'.
-- Less
than one-fifth of COSTA RICA's original forest remains,
despite
one of the longest traditions of progressive conservation
policies
and legislation in the developing world. The Government
is
trying to ensure long-term conservation by linking protected
areas
to the economic needs of local people:
tourism and
biodiversity
'prospecting' offer opportunities for generating
income
while protecting biodiversity. A US$8 million GEF/UNDP
project
concentrates on two of the country's most important
protected
areas -- La Amistad, which contains 90 per cent of the
country's
flora, and La Osa, the largest remaining area of
tropical
rainforest on the Pacific coast of Central America. It
will
systematically identify the biodiversity resources of these
areas,
determine their economic potential, and draw up eco-tourism
plans
with neighbouring communities: in all
cases a proportion of
the
income will be used to strengthen the conservation areas.
COUNTRIES
INVOLVED IN GEF BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS
Algeria,
Argentina, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil,
Burkina
Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica,
Cote
d'Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Jordan,
Kenya,
Kiribati, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Malawi,
Malaysia,
Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mongolia,
Mozambique,
Nepal, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Romania, Seychelles, Slovakia, Solomon
Islands,
Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu,
Uganda,
Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
Venezuela,
Viet Nam, Western Samoa, Zimbabwe.
Biodiversity
projects in these areas are supported by the
following
GEF Global Projects:
Support
for the Preparation of Biodiversity Country Studies
Support
for the Preparation of Biodiversity Country Studies
Phase
Two
Global
Biodiversity Assessment
Biodiversity
Data Management Capacitation and Networking
Biodiversity
Information
AN
UNPRECEDENTED ASSESSMENT
More
than a thousand scientists are now working on the first-ever
global
appraisal of all aspects of the Earth's biodiversity.
Financed
by the GEF and conducted by UNEP, the Global Biodiversity
Assessment
will provide a solid scientific basis for the
international
community's efforts to combat the growing crisis in
the
very fabric of the planet's life.
Dr.
Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Gardens,
described
in the last issue of Our Planet how we are 'confronting
an
episode of species extinction greater than anything the world
has
experienced for the last 65 million years', with massive, if
incalculable,
ecological and economic consequences, as the Earth's
living
systems are disrupted and enormous genetic resources are
lost.
'Of all the global problems that confront us,' he wrote,
'this
is the one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that
will
have the most serious consequences.'
The
international treaty aimed at tackling this crisis, the
Convention
on Biological Diversity, was agreed just before the
1992
Earth Summit, and has now been signed by 160 countries. The
Global
Biodiversity Assessment was originally designed to provide
a
scientific and technical basis for its implementation and
follow-up,
just as similar authoritative studies underpin the
treaties
that combat climate change and stratospheric ozone
depletion.
But ultimately the Convention's governing body must
decide
how to use it. Meanwhile, it will assist the GEF in
developing
an operational strategy in the area of biodiversity.
'No
state-of-the-art assessment of the diverse fields involved in
biodiversity
has ever been attempted before,' says Professor
Vernon
Heywood, of the University of Reading, (formerly Chief
Scientist,
Plant Conservation of IUCN-The World Conservation
Union)
who is the Executive Editor of the Assessment. 'The
objective
is to provide an independent, critical, peer-reviewed
scientific
analysis of the current thinking on all aspects of
biodiversity
-- its origins, dynamics, assessment, measurement,
monitoring,
economic valuation, conservation and sustainable use.'
The
assessment will not set out to list the world's biodiversity,
describe
where it is, or judge how well it is conserved; that is
being
done by other projects, such as the World Conservation
Monitoring
Centre's "Global Biodiversity Status Report". It will
address
more fundamental issues such as assessing how to measure,
monitor
-- and value -- biodiversity; estimating probable
extinction
rates; drawing up future scenarios for human impact on
biodiversity;
and working out how to use it sustainably.
It will
avoid being biased towards selected, land-based, groups of
organisms
such as birds, mammals and flowering plants, but will
give
proper emphasis to both aquatic and terrestrial biomes -- and
include
soil organisms, micro-organisms and invertebrates as well
as
higher animals and plants. It will cover not just natural and
semi-natural
habitats, but agriculture and forestry ecosystems,
parks
and gardens and other urban biodiversity, hedgerows and
roadside
plantings. Similarly it will embrace both wild and
domesticated
species.
It will
not just present the majority opinion on these issues, but
also
indicate minority views that are soundly based in science,
and
will try to dispel some of the myths surrounding biodiversity.
The
Assessment is being implemented under the guidance of
Professor
Reuben Olembo, UNEP Assistant Executive Director. Dr.
Robert
Watson, of the White House-s Office of Science and
Technology
is Chairman of the Assessment (he also chairs the
Scientific
Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol on Substances
that
Deplete the Ozone Layer). Dr. Peter Raven is an Honorary
Adviser,
as are Dr. Emil Salim, former Indonesian environment
minister,
Dr. M. S. Swaminathan and Professor E. O. Wilson.
Several
hundred of the world's leading scientists are working on
the
first draft of the assessment, which will then be sent to a
thousand
more for extensive peer review. It should all result in
the
standard reference work on the main issues of biodiversity.
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