Y.8 Other Major Environmental Conventions

TRAFFIC : The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network	TRAFFIC is a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN. It was established in 1976 by the Species Survival Commission of IUCN, TRAFFIC has grown to become the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring programme, and a global expert on wildlife trade issues. This non-governmental organization To ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS)	The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their Bonn Convention) Range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment The Agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal Instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions
Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT)	Aims to focus public and political attention and resources on ending the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Initiated in 2005, CAWT is a unique voluntary public-private coalition CAWT is leveraging the combined strengths of government and nongovernmental partners to : Improve Wildlife Law Enforcement by expanding enforcement training and information Sharing and strengthening regional cooperative networks Reduce consumer demand for illegally traded wildlife by raising awareness of the impacts of illegal wildlife trade on biodiversity Catalyse high-level political will to fight wildlife trafficking
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)	ITTO is an intergovernmental organization, under UN (1986) promoting the conservation and Sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources.
United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)	The Economic and .Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), established the UNFF In October 2000, a subsidiary body with the main objective to promote “the management, Conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end” based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy. The Forum has universal membership, and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies Enhance the contribution of forests to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, The four Global Objectives seek to : Reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide through sustainable forest management (SFM), Including protection, restoration, afforestation and reforestation, and increase efforts to prevent forest degradation; Enhance forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits; including by improving the livelihoods of forest-dependent people; Increase significantly the area of sustainably managed forests, including protected forests, and increase the proportion of forest products derived from sustainably managed forests; and Reverse the decline in official development assistance for sustainable forest management and Mobilize significantly-increased new and additional financial resources from all sources for the implementation of SFM
IUCN	Its full legal name is International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is an international organisation working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources Founded in 1948 in Fontainebleau, France. .HQ: Gland, Switzerland It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying and education. Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now Incorporates issues related to gender equality, poverty alleviation and sustainable business in its projects. It publishes IUCN Red List which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations. Both Governments and NGOs are its members.
The Global Tiger Forum (GTE)	Is an inter-governmental and international body established with members from willing Countries to embark on a worldwide campaign, common approach, promotion of appropriate programmes and controls to save the remaining five subspecies of tigers in the wild Distributed over 14 tiger range countries Of the world. Formed in 1994 with its secretariat at New Delhi, GTF is the only inter-governmental & international body campaigning to save the TIGER worldwide. The General Assembly of GTF shall meet once in three years. To promote a worldwide campaign to save the tiger, its prey and its habitat; To promote a legal framework in the countries involved for biodiversity conservation; To increase the protected area network of habitats of the tiger and facilitate their inter passages In the range countries; To promote eco-development programmes with the participation of the communities living in And around protected areas elimination of illegal trade; scientific research The development and exchange among themselves, of appropriate technologies and training programmes for scientific wildlife management To set up a participative fund of an appropriate size to engender awareness in all places
Global Tiger Initiative	An alliance of governments, international, agencies, civil society, and the private sector united to Save wild tigers from extinction Goals of GSTI To support capacity-building in governments for responding effectively to the transnational Challenge of illegal trade in wildlife and for scientifically managing tiger landscapes in the face of mounting and varied threats To curtail international demand for tiger parts and other wildlife. To create innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms for tiger landscapes including Protected areas; To build strong local constituencies for tiger conservation through development of economic Incentives and alternative livelihoods for local people” To develop mechanisms for safeguarding habitats from development through planning “‘smart, green’ infrastructure and sensitive industrial development; To spread the recognition among governments, international aid agencies and the public that tiger habitats are high-value diverse ecosystems with the potential to provide immense benefits- both tangible and intangible
The Stockholm Convention On POP	The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted at a Conference of Plenipotentiaries on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden and entered into force on 17 May 2004, POP Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic chemical substances, that is, they are carbon- based: They possess a particular combination of physical and chemical properties such that, once released into the environment, they: Remain intact for exceptionally long periods of time (many years); Become widely distributed throughout the environment as a result of natural processes involving soil, Water and, most notably, air; Accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms including humans; and are found at higher concentrations at higher levels in the food chain; are toxic to both humans and wildlife not soluble in water The 12 initial POPs Initially, twelve POPs have been recognized as causing adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem and these can be placed in 3 categories: 1. Pesticides : aldiri, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene; 2. Industrial chemicals : hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and 3. By-products hexachlorobenzene; Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins And polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF), and PCBs. The new POPs under the Stockholm Convention Nine New POPS Pesticides : chlordecone, alpha hexachloro- cyclohexane, beta hexachlorocyclohexane, linden, pentachlorobenzene e; Industrial chemicals : Hexabromobiphenyl, hexabromodiphenyl ether and hePtane-diphenyl ether, pentachlorobenzene, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride, tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether; and By-products:,alpha hexachlorocyclohexane, beta hexachlorocyclohexane and pentachlorobenzene Endosulfan : At its fifth meeting held in 2011, the CoP adopted an amendment to Annex A to the Stockholm Convention to list technical endos ulfan and related isomers with a specific exemption
Basel Convention	The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes And their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, Objective To protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous Wastes. Its scope of application covers a wide range of wastes defined as “hazardous wastes” based on Their origin, and/or composition and their characteristics, as well as two types of wastes defined as “other wastes” -household waste and incinerator ash. Principal aims : The reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal; The restriction of trans boundary movements of hazardous wastes a regulatory system applying to cases where trans boundary movements are permissible Examples of wastes regulated by the Basel Convention Biomedical and healthcare wastes Used oils Used lead acid batteries Persistent Organic Pollutant wastes (POPs wastes), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Thousands of chemical wastes generated by industries and other consumers
Rotterdam Convention	It was adopted in 1998 by a Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and entered into force on 24 February 2004. The Convention creates legally binding obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. It built on the voluntary PIC procedure, initiated by UNEP and FAO in 1989 and ceased on 24 February 2006. The Convention covers pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned ,or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by Parties and which have been notified by Parties for inclusion in the PIC procedure. Objectives : To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm;
UNCCD	Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The UNCCD is particularly committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is one of the Rio Conventions that focuses on desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD). “Desertification’ as-defined in the UNCCD refers to land degradation in the drylands (arid, semi arid and dry sub humid regions) resulting from various factors and does not connote spread or expansion of deserts. UNCCD with 194 Parties The convention aims at adaption and can, on implementation, significantly contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as sustainable development and poverty reduction by means of arresting and reversing land degradation. The convention promotes sustainable land management (SLM) as solution to global challenges
International Whaling Commission	Is the global intergovernmental body charged with the conservation of whales and the Management of whaling with headquarters in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling which was Signed in Washington DC on 2nd December 1946 Preamble To provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly Development of the whaling industry. In 1986 the Commission introduced zero catch limits for commercial whaling. This provision is still in place today, although the Commission continues to set catch limits for aboriginal subsistence whaling.
Vienna Convention	Vienna convention adopted in the year 1985 and entered into force in 1988. It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer however it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs. With 197 parties, they are the most widely ratified treaties in United Nations history. Montreal Protocol The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was designed to Reduce the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and thereby protect the earth’s fragile ozone Layer. The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1987, and entered into force on January 1, 1989, followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989. Since then, it has undergone seven revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing). India and Protection of Ozone Layer India became a Party to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer on 19 June 199land the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer on 17 September 1992 Consequently, it ratified the Copenhagen, Montreal and Beijing Amendments in 2003. India produces CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, Halon-1211, HCFC-22, Halon-1301, Carbon tetrachloride (CTC), methyl chloroform and methyl bromide. These ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) are used in refrigeration and air conditioning, fire Fighting, electronics, foams, aerosol fumigation applications. A detailed India Country Programme for phase out of ODS was prepared in 1993 The Ministry of Environment and Forests established an Ozone Cell and a steering committee on the Montreal Protocol to facilitate implementation of the India Country Programme for Phasing out ODS (ozone depleting substances) production by 2010. In order to meet the objectives of the Protocol, the Indian government has granted full Exemption from payment of Customs and Central Excise Duties on import of goods designed exclusively for non-ODS technology
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems	The FAO recognizes the agricultural heritage regions of the world under a programme titled Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) purpose of (GIAHS) is to recognize “Remarkable land use systems and landscapes which are rich in globally significant biological diversity evolving from the co-adaptation of a community with its environment and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development”. In our country so far the following sites have received recognition under this programme : 1. Traditional Agricultural System, Koraput, Odisha 2. Below Sea Level Farming System, Kuttanad, Kerala In the Koraput system, women have played a key role in the conservation of biodiversity. The Kuttanad system was developed by farmers over 150 years ago to ensure their food security by learning to cultivate rice and other crops below sea level. The Kuttanad System is now attracting worldwide attention since one of the effects of global warming is sea level rise. It has therefore been an act of vision on the part of Kerala government to have decided to, set up An International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea Level Farming in Kuttanad.