Setting a global agenda for biodiversity<\/p>\n
The following article is excerpted from the opening remarks
\nmade by Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, Indonesia's minister of
\nenvironment, in his capacity as chairman of the Second Conference
\nof Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in Jakarta from Nov.
\n6 to 17.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As a nation of islands we are delighted at the
\nemphasis on the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and
\nmarine biodiversity and we welcome the very useful
\nrecommendations from the Subordinate Body on Scientific,
\nTechnical and Technological Advice meeting in Paris.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's great expanse of territorial waters and the
\nrichness of the Indo-Pacific oceans provide food and livelihoods
\nfor many in our island nation and we are concerned about
\nprotecting these biological resources and major fisheries and
\nusing them in a sustainable manner. As part of this process
\nIndonesia is embracing the concepts of integrated coastal zone
\nmanagement and using this tool to plan and implement sustainable
\ndevelopment for our people.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has some of the most biologically rich and
\nproductive coral reefs in the world, the greatest expanses of
\nmangroves in Southeast Asia and extensive sea grass beds which
\nprovide right feeding grounds for marine turtles and the fabled
\ndugongs.<\/p>\n
Indonesia welcomes the global Coral Reef Initiative and is
\nalready taking steps to protect and manage coral reefs through
\nthe COREMAP project which is being prepared with World Bank and
\nGlobal Environment Facility assistance.<\/p>\n
That project will help strengthen institutional capacity for
\nreef management, involving local communities fully in the process
\nand building on local knowledge and customary management
\npractices. Our coral reefs are not only beautiful, they also
\nprovide valuable and essential resources for coastal communities.
\nLike other nations we are becoming increasingly concerned about
\nsustainable fishery and the dangers of overfishing.<\/p>\n
While we welcome the new emphasis on coastal and marine
\nbiodiversity, we must not forget terrestrial habitats and
\nfreshwater ecosystems. Indonesia has the largest forest reserves
\nin Southeast Asia, covering more than 60 percent of the whole
\ncountry and including lowland forests which are the most species
\nrich forests on Earth.<\/p>\n
These forests harbor an estimated 25,000 species of flowering
\nplants, one tenth of the world's total, and a rich and diverse
\nfauna. We are proud of this biodiversity and well aware of the
\ncontribution it makes to the national and local economies.<\/p>\n
We have already designated large areas of forests as
\nconservation areas for biodiversity and watershed protection.
\nHowever we are aware that in the pursuit of economic development
\nwe have not always harvested our forests wisely and that we must
\ndo more to promote sustainable forestry.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is committed to improved forest management and
\nsustainable use by the year 2000 in accordance with International
\nTimber Trade Organization guidelines. We are proud to host the
\nCenter for International Forestry Research whose work provides
\nguidelines for sustainable forest management. We welcome the
\ninitiative of the Commission on Sustainable Development to
\nestablish an Intergovernmental Panel on Forests.<\/p>\n
As one of the outputs of this meeting we would like to see
\ndelegates put conservation and sustainable use of forests high on
\nthe biodiversity agenda; not just tropical forests but also
\nforests in temperate and boreal regions which are threatened by
\nunsustainable harvesting.<\/p>\n
As in many other developing countries, much of our population
\ndepends on subsistence agriculture. These farmers and rural
\ncommunities are custodians of considerable biodiversity and
\nbiological knowledge through cultivation and husbandry of crop
\nraces and their relatives. We are concerned about access to
\ngenetic resources and intellectual property rights and we look
\nforward to fruitful deliberations on these topics.<\/p>\n
Another major concern for Indonesia and other developing
\ncountries is the development and transfer of technology and ways
\nto promote access to that technology. There is widespread
\nrecognition that the main agents of transfer are likely to be
\nprivate firms, but governments have an important role to play in
\nproviding the necessary infrastructure and enabling climate for
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Like many other developing countries we need to strengthen
\ninstitutional capacity for research and development and to find
\nways to integrate local and traditional knowledge of natural
\nresource management into modern management practices.<\/p>\n
During the first Convention on Biodiversity many parties
\nexpressed concern about the need for safe transfer, handling and
\nuse of living modified organisms and the matter of biosafety,
\nboth in relation to modified organisms and introduced or exotic
\nspecies.<\/p>\n
This issue of biosafety is of particular concern to us. Homo
\nsapiens is an inquisitive species and our curiosity and search
\nfor knowledge will lead us into new territory in biotechnology
\nand manipulation of genes and species.<\/p>\n
Much of this manipulation will benefit humankind, for example,
\nthe creation of drought or disease-resistant food crop varieties,
\nbut other potential products of genetic manipulation are more
\nworrisome and take us into uncharted territory and the need for a
\ncode of bioethics.<\/p>\n
Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is
\nfundamental to sustainable development. All of us are dependent
\nto varying degrees on biological resources for food, shelter,
\nmedicines, income generation and a healthy physical and cultural
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
All of us can agree that establishment of conservation areas
\nand ex-situ collections will not by itself be sufficient to
\nprotect biodiversity. Probably more important is the need to
\nrethink our strategies for sectoral development to ensure that
\nbiodiversity objectives are integrated into sectoral policies,
\nplans and programs.<\/p>\n
We need to mainstream biodiversity not only in sectors which
\nare obviously dependent on biological resources such as
\nagriculture, fisheries and forestry but also into infrastructure,
\nindustry, energy and transport sector strategies which impact on
\nnatural habitats and biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Governments will have to initiate follow-up actions to the UN
\nconvention on biodiversity and form and reform national legal
\ninstruments and institutions, as well as mind sets. All these
\nwill be the great challenge of the future, meeting the objectives
\nof the convention and integrating biodiversity into sustainable
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
At the same time we need to be paying greater attention to
\nconservation education and awareness, mainstreaming biodiversity
\nboth within the formal as well as non formal education sector and
\nin our daily lives. The various communications media, visual as
\nwell as electronic will have to show more on values of
\nbiodiversity and our dependence on those biological resources.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia we have success in grassroots oriented programs
\nsuch as in family planning, integrated pest management, nutrition
\nand basic education. Two years ago we designated Nov. 5 as our
\nNational Flora and Fauna Day.<\/p>\n
We have adopted national and provincial plants and flowers and
\nthis program will eventually be extended to the village level
\nwith each village choosing the plant or animal that best
\nsymbolizes local biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Every year we issue postage stamps to celebrate our flora and
\nfauna. Of course these first day issues raise revenue but more
\nimportantly they create awareness that plants and animals enrich
\nour lives in ways far beyond their cash value.<\/p>\n
This conference has an ambitious agenda. To achieve our
\nobjectives we will need to build on and strengthen partnerships,
\nbetween government agencies and donors, governments and NGOs and
\nlocal communities, between the public and private sectors and
\nbetween countries who have a common regional interest.<\/p>\n
There is much to do to protect our global biodiversity
\nheritage and it will be neither easy nor cheap. This brings us to
\nissues of financing and the Global Environment Facility.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has supported the facility from the outset and was
\none of the first developing countries to contribute to it; we
\nhave also benefited from this global fund. One of the issues
\nbefore us as parties is to determine whether to accept the
\nfacility as a permanent mechanism for the convention or to retain
\nit for another year as the interim mechanism.<\/p>\n
Whatever we decide, it is clear that facility resources alone
\nwill not be sufficient to support all the activities and programs
\nthat developing countries will need to undertake to effectively
\nconserve biodiversity.<\/p>\n
We will need additional resources both from the donor
\ncommunity through bilateral assistance and through tapping the
\nexpertise and entrepreneurial skills of the private sector so
\nthat good business becomes biodiversity-friendly business.<\/p>\n
Window: There is much to do to protect our global biodiversity
\nheritage and it will be neither easy nor cheap.<\/p>",
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