Bonn, 5 June 2008: The Sixth Meeting of the Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG) took place on 31st May, taking advantage of the presence in Bonn of the heads of agencies of the biodiversity-related Conventions who had gathered for the CBD COP.

Opening the meeting, CMS Executive Secretary, Robert Hepworth congratulated his CBD counterpart, Ahmed Djoghlaf: “After two weeks of arduous debates and negotiations you and your Parties have reached a successful conclusion of the CBD COP.

Furthermore they agreed to co-operate actively on the next International Biodiversity Day in 2009, which will be dedicated to Alien Species. The International Biodiversity Day 2009 will be a platform for BLG to co-operate in International Year for Biodiversity 2009. CMS will be consulted at a meeting in September organised by the CBD Secretariat as the Secretariat offered to produce a banner with a corporate design for the Group.

One of the Group’s main focuses is the achievement of the 2010 target of halting the rate of biodiversity decline. With that deadline now fast approaching, consideration is being given to devising further targets for beyond 2010.

The Group’s members pledged to collaborate in the celebration of the International Year for Biodiversity 2010, which will present the participating conventions with a golden opportunity to raise public awareness of the vital importance of maintaining biodiversity. The Group has already worked together on a CD-Rom explaining the application of the Addis Ababa principles and guidelines on sustainable use. It can be considered as the first joint knowledge management initiative undertaken by the BLG. The BLG members are also engaged in a wide ranging project to devise indicators by which to assess the effectiveness of the policies aimed at achieving the 2010 target.

At the meeting, the implementation of decisions adopted by the conventions was reviewed to enhance the efficiency of cooperation. CITES suggested and CMS supported the need to harmonise nomenclature and taxonomy between the conventions to facilitate the practical cooperation between the conventions. This would also assist the understanding by partners and the general public as well as the Conventions’ national focal points. The BLG members agreed on a proposal to establish a common database for species covered by the two conventions.

The next meeting of the BLG will take place in Rome in December, immediately after the CMS COP. The meeting will be hosted by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (ITPGR), which is part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The BLG brings together the six biodiversity-related Conventions - CBD, CMS, CITES, Ramsar, the World Heritage Convention and ITPGR – to discuss common concerns and devise joint strategies and programmes to achieve shared objectives.