"Croatia Conference"
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia,
22-24 February 2006
The Conference considered the issues on the agenda of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the CBD (20 to 31 March 2006, Curitiba, Brazil) and explored the status of implementation of the biodiversity commitments in the pan European region in order to recognize important achievements and recommend steps to address the gaps and needs of the region.
Almost 200 participants from the Pan European region attended the Conference - 41 governmental delegations, 42 international and regional governmental organizations and international, regional and national non-governmental organizations and representatives of the private sector.
Dr. Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia opened the Conference and in his welcoming speech stated: "One of the greatest challenges is to harmonize the interests of nature with economic interests, financial and commercial sectors, to establish an ecological network and develop systems for the remaining valuable areas for endangered species and habitats which are mutually functionally connected and to ensure mechanisms for conservation and management of such habitats."
Keynote addresses at the Conference were given by HE Mr. Aleksandar PopoviƦ, Minister of Science and Environmental Protection, Republic of Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro; Mr. Wolfgang Stalzer, Director General, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria, representing the EU presidency; Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat; Mr. Ladislav Miko, Director, Protecting the Natural Environment, Directorate General - Environment, European Commission; Dr. Jeffrey McNeely, Chief Scientist, IUCN-the World Conservation Union; Ms. Ana Liro, Deputy Director, Department of Nature Protection, Ministry of Environment, Poland; Mr. Bulat Yessekin, Regional Environment Centre-Central Asia; Ms Marie Belling, European Landowners Organisation and Mr. Alex Kirby, journalist.
During tree days of the Conference the Governments considered following issues:
-
Island Biodiversity
- Global Taxonomy Initiative
- Communication, Education and Public Awareness
- Implementation of the Kyiv Resolution on Biodiversity
- Monitoring progress and Reporting Progress: streamlining European 2010 biodiversity indicators
- Forest and Biodiversity
- Agriculture and Biodiversity
- Protected Areas and Ecological Networks
- Invasive Alien Species.
The objective was to reach a common understanding in the pan European region on these issues. The Conference adopted conclusions which the Government of Croatia on behalf of all Pan European region will present at the 8th meting of Conference of the Parties to the CBD to be held in Curitiba, Brazil in March this year in order to explore the status of implementation of the biodiversity commitments in the pan European region and recognize important achievements and recommend steps to address the gaps and needs of the region.
The conclusions of the chairman can be found
here.
