How it will (a) promote the application of the ecosystem approach that integrates protected areas into broader land or seascapes for the co…

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met in Nagoya in October 2010, and agreed a new ten year Strategic Plan, alongside many other decisions. This plan contains twenty headline targets, organised under five strategic goals that address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, reduce the pressures on biodiversity, safeguard biodiversity at all levels, enhance the benefits provided by biodiversity, and provide for capacity building.
We welcome the agreements reached at Nagoya which should help to provide fresh impetus to international efforts to secure improvement in the condition of global biodiversity and in its capability to deliver the services on which we all depend. We need to take time to assess how best to take forward the individual elements in the many decisions that came from Nagoya which have potential application in Scotland.
The Scottish Government for its part is assessing the new CBD Strategic Plan, and considering with partners, including Scottish Natural Heritage, the need to revise our own Biodiversity Strategy and the actions planned under that strategy. In making this assessment, we shall have to take account of new EU Biodiversity targets agreed in March 2010 and the forthcoming EU Biodiversity Strategy, expected in early 2011. We shall also have to consider the connections between these objectives for our Biodiversity Strategy and other policies and programmes that impact on the terrestrial and marine environment.