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Biodiversity

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Water covers 70 percent of the Earth. Marine and freshwater environments sustain an abundance of life in its spectacular diversity. Through our history, small-scale fishing communities have interacted and depended on these living resources. A threat to aquatic environments is a danger to artisanal fishers.

Their protection and stewardship are essential to the communities and cultures they sustain. This relationship is a framework to manage conflicts and improve the quality of life and livelihood of small-scale fishers. It was recognized in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Governments increasingly designate marine protected areas (MPAs) for conservation and management. This legal instrument does help but its implementation has raised serious concerns. Target-driven expansion of MPAs is fixated on quantitative goals. This has hit the rights, livelihoods and sustainable use practices of small-scale fishing communities. MPAs—created often in a non-consultative and non-participatory manner—have focused on regulating/restricting their fisheries, failing to recognize their sustainable livelihoods, culture and survival.

It is imperative that protection efforts are grounded in principles of sustainable use. That their processes are inclusive and recognize</b< traditional local systems of knowledge and governance, building upon them. Artisanal fishers must be the frontline of marine biodiversity conservation. There is an urgent need for systematic improvements on all such matters.

A range of ICSF’s initiatives highlight the social and political dimensions of conservation. The importance of livelihoods of poor and vulnerable communities, of their participation and consultation. The co-management of resources by fishing communities, based on a human rights approach to conservation.

 

Current Programmes

Press Conference: Fisher Peoples in Action – United Nations Biodiversity Conference 2024, 23 October 2024

Fisher Peoples in Action: A Human Rights-Based Approach to achieve Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets in Coastal and Marine Conservation. Description: Fisher Peoples, in their diversity as Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, local communities, women, girls, and youth, make a joint call for recognition of the need to actively involve fisher peoples and adopt a human rights-based approach to achieve the KMGBF Targets in Coastal and Marine Conservation. To achieve the KMGBF targets in coastal and marine conservation, it is necessary to recognize the centrality of Fisher Peoples to biodiversity conservation success. They are the stewards and caretakers of the ocean, coasts, rivers, and lakes. Yet, the current KMGBF implementation process does not sufficiently involve and guarantee Indigenous and local community small-scale fishers’ human rights and stewardship. For more details, please visit: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k15/k15icg47f5

Resources

Statement at COP16: Call for Inclusion of Small-Scale Fishers as Partners in the Implementation and Monitoring of the Biodiversity Targets by ICSF, 2024

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International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Press Conference: Fisher Peoples in Action – United Nations Biodiversity Conference 2024 23 October 2024  Statement Call for Inclusion of Small-Scale Fishers as...

Summary of Proceeding: Subsidiary Body on Implementation, SBI-05 Meeting (Day-1), COP16, Cali, Colombia, 16 October 2024 by Ronald Rodriguez, ICSF

The statements from Parties highlighted the importance of National Biodiversity Strategies andAction  Plans (NBSAPs) as the primary tool for implementing the Convention and the Kunming  Montreal-Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) at...

COP15: Charting a course for a sustainable planet (draft) by Sivaja K Nair

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Around 20,000 delegates from about 190 countries convened at Montreal, Quebec, the seat of the UN CBD Secretariat, to guide global action to protect nature through 2030 amid protests from...

Handbook on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for small-scale fishing communities

This Handbook, developed by ICSF and Crocevia, describes the components of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and provides an overview of its programmes, targets and commitments on aquatic, marine...

Why is biodiversity important for small-scale fisheries: Video on a new Handbook by ICSF and Crocevia

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) operate in both marine and inland waters, accounting for over half of the total fish catch in developing countries. The bulk of this catch is destined for...

Marine Protected Areas and Small-scale Fisheries in South Africa: Promoting Governance, Participation, Equity and Benefit Sharing by Jackie Sunde

This research reflects on the progress achieved by conservation partners in South Africa on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Programme Element. It explores the strategies and...

MPA Workshop proceedings: Fishery-Dependent Livelihood, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity : The Case of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in India, 1-2 March 2012 , India International Centre, New Delhi, India

The workshop reviewed existing legal and institutional mechanisms for creating, implementing and reporting MCPAs in India, and discussed their impact from the perspective of environmental justice and human rights and...

Getting it right: Incorporating social aspects into MPA planning and implementation By ICSF, 2010

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This document summarizes a series of case studies done in nine countries—Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania and Thailand—on the role of communities in the planning and...

Marine protected areas in Thailand: Time for a sea change: A study of the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation measures and marine protected areas along southern Thailand’s Andaman sea coastline

This study examines how Thailand’s biodiversity conservation measures affect fishing communities, especially in the marine protected areas (MPAs) on the Andaman Sea coastline. It documents the various efforts of the...

Workshop on “Small Indigenous Freshwater Fish Species: Their Role in Poverty Alleviation, Food Security and Conservation of Biodiversity”: SIFFS Workshop Report

This is the report on the workshop on “Small Indigenous Freshwater Fish Species: Their Role in Poverty Alleviation, Food Security and Conservation of Biodiversity”, organized by the ICSF in collaboration...

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Updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan: A Roadmap for Conservation of India’s Biodiversity 2024-2030 by MoEFCC, 2024

India has a rich tradition of biodiversity conservation, which predates the global biodiversity movement and the establishment of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The journey toward formal biodiversity management...

Summary of the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference: 21 October – 1 November 2024 by IISD, ENB, 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 The fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 5) of...

Biodiversity COP 16: Important agreement reached towards goal of “making peace with nature”

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) was suspended in the morning of Nov. 2 but not before countries agreed...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Thursday, 31 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 Working Group II considered conference room papers (CRPs) throughout the day. Two...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Wednesday, 30 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 The Working Groups addressed conference room papers (CRPs) throughout the day. Contact...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Tuesday, 29 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 The High-level Segment gathered Heads of State, Ministers, and high-level officials, while...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Monday, 28 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 Text-based negotiations continued. Working Group II addressed conference room papers (CRPs) on...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Friday, 25 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 Text-based negotiations continued. The two Working Groups addressed conference room papers (CRPs)...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Thursday, 24 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 Text-based negotiations continued in multiple settings. Working Group II continued consideration of...

UN Biodiversity Conference Highlights of Earth Negotiations Bulletin: CoP16 – Wednesday, 23 October 2024

2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference – SBI 5 / CBD COP 16 / CP-MOP 11 / NP-MOP 5 Text-based negotiations continued in multiple settings. Working Group II concluded the first...

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