Protecting China's major urban bird diversity hotspots

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework puts forward a new conservation target to enhance urban biodiversity. Cities have a great potential for sustaining biodiversity and nurturing a healthy relationship between people and our nearest nature. It is especially important in developing countries such as China, which has a rich biodiversity and a rapidly growing urban population. Using citizen science data, we show that 48% of the national bird diversity and 42% of its threatened species have been recorded in the top-20 most avian-diverse cities of China. Urban bird diversity hotspots clustered along the eastern coast, indicating the importance of establishing an inter-city conservation network along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This urban conservation network would be a starting point to promote social recognition of biodiversity's relational value in a country with a vast population and an increasingly important role in meeting UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Metadata harmonization-Standards are the key for a better usage of omics data for integrative microbiome analysis

BACKGROUND

Tremendous amounts of data generated from microbiome research studies during the last decades require not only standards for sampling and preparation of omics data but also clear concepts of how the metadata is prepared to ensure re-use for integrative and interdisciplinary microbiome analysis.

RESULTS

In this Commentary, we present our views on the key issues related to the current system for metadata submission in omics research, and propose the development of a global metadata system. Such a system should be easy to use, clearly structured in a hierarchical way, and should be compatible with all existing microbiome data repositories, following common standards for minimal required information and common ontology. Although minimum metadata requirements are essential for microbiome datasets, the immense technological progress requires a flexible system, which will have to be constantly improved and re-thought. While FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) are already considered, international legal issues on genetic resource and sequence sharing provided by the Convention on Biological Diversity need more awareness and engagement of the scientific community.

CONCLUSIONS

The suggested approach for metadata entries would strongly improve retrieving and re-using data as demonstrated in several representative use cases. These integrative analyses, in turn, would further advance the potential of microbiome research for novel scientific discoveries and the development of microbiome-derived products.

Biodiversity conservation policy in megadiverse countries: Comparing policy systems for 2020 targets to inform management in the coming decades

The year 2020 marks a crucial deadline for signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the most important global agreement for biodiversity conservation, which requires nations to meet conservation targets. Managers and decision-makers need a better understanding of the policy systems established to meet conservation targets in order to inform post-2020 CBD policy implementation. This paper compares two policy systems for implementing marine protected areas (MPAs) which protect a threatened source of biodiversity, coral reefs. Comparing a centralized policy system, with power emanating from ministries (Malaysia), with a decentralized policy system, with power concentrated in subnational government (Indonesia), provides insights. Policy process literature is used to build on the already substantial interdisciplinary literature on MPAs, drawing novel insights into policy-makers and how they determine policy problems, shape policy options, and are influenced by political events. Findings are that the tropics-wide coral bleaching event in 2015-2016 fundamentally changed the way managers perceived the problems that biodiversity conservation policy solves. Managers are beginning to prioritize policy responses to climate stressors with the same urgency as historically important stressors like overfishing, implementing responses at starkly different power centers within policy systems. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), subnational governments, and the private sector are implementing innovative policy responses in the decentralized system, while the same actors in the centralized system face constraints because of its rigid policy framework. Understanding where starkly different power centers, and related dynamism, fall within policy systems allows for more effective reforms and investments for the next iteration of the CBD.

Can prior informed consent create virtuous cycle between biodiversity conservation and genetic resources utilization?

This study attempted to predict the effectiveness of prior informed consent (PIC) as a mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol (NP) through the case of Japan, a developed country with a wealth of genetic biodiversity. The NP to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) aims at creating a virtuous cycle between biodiversity conservation and the utilization of genetic resources through fair and equitable benefit sharing. As PIC is a crucial component of the NP for promoting fair and equitable sharing, this study investigated whether introducing PIC creates a virtuous cycle. Considering the limitations of empirical data, this study adopted a policy Delphi comprising experts in an iterative group communication process that used consecutive questionnaires to reveal diverse issues as input for policymaking. We identified six related issues that were evaluated for the case of introduction and three for the case of no introduction of PIC. Their relative importance as a policy concern was measured through best-worst scaling to narrow down policy-relevant issues. This study revealed that contrary to the NP's intent, the overall contribution to the virtuous cycle is limited. In designing PIC mechanisms, policymakers must pay particular attention to bequest and research and development. This study identified three paths through which the negative impacts on research and development further negatively affect bequest, that is, slackening the identification of important genetic resources and ecosystems to conserve, disincentivizing biodiversity conservation for genetic resource use, and dampening ex-situ conservation efforts.

Assessing awareness on biodiversity conservation among Nigerians: the Aichi Biodiversity Target 1

The adoption of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABTs) was supposed to increase conservation awareness in different countries and regions of the world. However, there seems to be a limited understanding of the importance of ecosystem services, offered by biological diversity. Thus, the continued decline in biodiversity, especially in developing countries. This study appraised the level of success of the first target of Nigeria's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), which is hinged on the first ABT. In a national survey, data were obtained from a total of 1,124 respondents (839 professionals and 285 non-professionals), using a structured questionnaire. Information on the respondents' knowledge of biodiversity conservation and the associated ecosystem services, were elicited. Most of the non-professionals had a low level of understanding of biodiversity concepts (4.9 ± 1.7 to 20.5 ± 3.4%), while there was a moderate level of understanding among the professionals (48.0 ± 8.6 to 88.8 ± 3.4%). Awareness of the NBSAP was low for both groups (43.8 ± 7.2% professionals and 12.1 ± 3.7% non-professionals). The study concludes that there is a need to step up campaigns on biodiversity conservation in Nigeria and promote visits to natural sites. Youth engagement through the employment of graduates of biology-related disciplines, to educate the public on biodiversity conservation and the action plan, could also be a strong determinant to the success of the NBSAP targets.

Addressing the implementation challenge of the global biodiversity framework

A Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is under discussion for the period 2021-2030, which will replace the "Aichi Targets" adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010. Given the limited success in meeting most of the Aichi Targets, this new framework must adopt a different approach. A key challenge the GBF must address is its implementation at national scales. Four ways this implementation challenge can be addressed include:The framework must move away from numerical targets to pursue positive trends in biodiversity, through adopting a "vectors of change" approach;The framework should be structured to focus on ecosystems and processes;The framework should synergise more extensively with existing biodiversity-relevant global agreements to maximise leverage and reduce overlap of resource use;The framework must adopt a much stronger theory of change than is in the current GBF Draft, to serve as the roadmap governments can use in upscaling their implementation of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing. Finally, the GBF must become a "learning framework", committed to facilitating and enabling governments to each meet their specific biodiversity challenges, while sharing back experiences with the global community, leading ultimately to realising the 2050 CBD vision of people living in harmony with nature.

Evaluating the official achievement of Aichi Target 11 for West African countries: A twofold challenge of accuracy and catching-up

Since Aichi Target 11 imposes 10% of national protected marine surface by 2020, the least developed countries have particularly shortcomings towards this goal, this article evaluates the progress of seven West African countries. We compared the area reportedly protected sites from two different sources, the world database on protected areas (WDPA) - which is the official tool to monitor the Aichi 11 Achievements - and the West African Marine Protected Area Network, which conducted a comprehensive survey in collaboration with the national institutions in charge of MPAs. Overall, the countries included in this study are unlikely to achieve the Aichi target. Comparing WDPA protected area figures against database created directly from national data showed large discrepancies. According to national data, Mauritania (3.71%) and Guinea-Bissau (2.15%) had the highest protected areas. Senegal had 1.61% of his EEZ under protection, while other countries had <1%. The difference between WDPA and national data was high with Guinea-Bissau already at 10% of EEZ protected areas status according to the WDPA. WDPA overestimated 5935 km² of MPAs, corresponding to 41% of the actual total area. Possible explanations for the differences include: countries not transmitting information or doing so incorrectly; methodological transformations of data are inducing errors; and multiple MPA statutes leading to double counting of protected areas. This study also shows that for these countries, to achieve Aichi Target 11, large offshore MPAs are the only viable option, and therefore identifies potential sites, that should be considered in addition to conservation of coastal zones. However, their viability may be constrained due to oil activities and lucrative fishing. The increasingly anthropized littoral zone offers less space favourable to MPAs, while 138,723 km² still need to be covered in these countries to reach 10% of marine protected area.

25 years after the `Rio Convention'--Lessons learned in the context of sustainable development and protecting indigenous and local knowledge

BACKGROUND

When in 1992 the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted, it was a response to centuries of exploitative use of biodiversity and to a lack of recognition of the rights of the countries and regions of origin. At the same time, it was an outcome of the increasing drive, especially in many European and American countries, to ascertain more equitable sharing of wealth between the global North and South. It is a result of negotiations between states and driven by political consensus.

AIM

With this review we aim to assess the situation 25 years after the adoption of the CBD, provide an overview on how we got to the current framework and offer a perspective on how such access rights and equitable benefit sharing can be ascertained.

OUTCOMES AND DISCUSSION

Without doubt the CBD has resulted in a new framework for providing and securing access to biodiversity and for equitable benefit sharing. It has since been developed and amended in numerous treaties and protocols, most recently the Nagoya Protocol. This development is both driven by the historical experience of many countries in the exploitative extractions of biodiversity, and indigenous peoples' drive for the recognition of their rights. Examples of exploitative use of biodiversity include the species yielding quinine and rubber. Using Lepidium meyenii Walp. as an example, we assess the current patent basis and highlight why in this case equitable benefit sharing proved to be impossible. Today, there are well-established principles in place to establish intellectual property rights, both with respect to a country's ownership of genetic resources, and a research entity's invention based on them. There remains, however, a lack of investment as well as research and development opportunities based on these internationally binding agreements. In line with the aims of our review, this paper includes an overview on how the current patenting system can be used to ensure that the goals of the CBD can be achieved.

CONCLUSION

In the context of the centuries of exploitative use of biodiversity, 25 years is a short time span and this review reiterates Posey and Dutfields' call (1996) to companies or other outside organization for developing 'a relationship in which the community is an equal partner'.

Mediterranean banks in EBSA area: Hotspots of biodiversity under threat

This study demonstrates that, in the Central Mediterranean Sea, the Graham, Nereo and Pantelleria Vecchia Banks of the Strait of Sicily represent, in the wide and diversified 'Sicily Channel' Ecological or Biological Significant Area, unknown hot spots of biodiversity threatened by human activities. The investigated banks show an high ecological and biological value (EBV), assessed through presence/absence of specific indicators. The ecological groups of Graham Bank show the maximum EBV; the same as Nereo and Pantelleria Vecchia, except for the benthic component. All three banks are highly threatened, mainly the benthic and benthopelagic ecological groups. However, these Banks still have wide pristine areas to protect and can be considered eligible sites for the imposition of area-based management measures of conservation. This study represent also a support for decision makers involved in protection of the Mediterranean open sea areas, to pinpoint other priority conservation banks.