IUCN, Biodiversity Programme

Today, there is increasing recognition that traditional and indigenous knowledge systems can provide alternative strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, a realisation that is strongly reflected in the Convention on biological diversity. However, there is a fear that this interest in traditional knowledge systems will lead to the basic human, cultural and scientific rights of indigenous people being sidelined, something the CBD fails to address adequately.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an historic commitment by the world’s nations to conserve biodiversity, to use biological resources sustainably and to share equitably the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. It is the first global legal instrument to comprehensively address all aspects of biodiversity. The Guide illustrates the scientific, technical and legal issues which the Convention raises.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an historic commitment by the world’s nations to conserve biodiversity, to use biological resources sustainably and to share equitably the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. It is the first global legal instrument to comprehensively address all aspects of biodiversity. The Guide illustrates the scientific, technical and legal issues which the Convention raises.

This handbook was written for staff working in protected areas around the world (including parks, wilderness areas, resarch areas, and other types of protected landscapes) who encounter conflicts of all kinds. The Handbook can also be a resource for other interested parties who want to play a constructive role in protected area conflicts. A simple framework is offered and some strategies for responding to different types of conflicts in protected areas are explored.

The Convention on biological diversity is an historic committment by the world's nations to conserve biological diversity, to use biological resources sustainably and to share equitably the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. It is the first global legal instrument to comprehensivly address all aspects of biological diversity. The guide illustrates the scientific, technical and legal issues which the Convention raises.

The authors show how cost-benefit techniques can be applied to biodiversity and how they provide a measure of the efficiency of conservation techniques. Only if biodiversity conservation passes a basic economic test such as cost-benefit analysis is it likely to be incorporated into policy.

Covers the full spectrum of legal mechanisms available for conserving biodiversity. Part 1 discusses the scope of state powers to conserve wild species and habitats, legal mechanisms for controlling taking, procedures for listing species in need of conservation measures, mechanisms for controlling trade and the challenges of enforcement. Part 2 covers area-based conservation at local and national level, as well as in transfrontier protected areas and areas beyond national jurisdiction.