Australia's Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity

2009
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
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Background

Article 26 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) states that the objective of national reporting is to provide information on measures taken for the implementation of the Convention and the effectiveness of these measures. In accordance with Article 6, measures to be addressed, in light of specific national circumstances, are reflected in Australia's National Biodiversity Strategy.

An effective system of national reporting can assist the Conference of the Parties to:

  • consider the lessons learned by Parties in the implementation of the Convention
  • identify gaps in capacity for policy research and analysis at the national, regional and global levels, including technical and financial requirements
  • formulate appropriate requests and guidance to Parties and to its subsidiary bodies, the Secretariat, the financial mechanism, and other organizations with expertise relevant to the implementation of the Convention.

Australia's third national report to the CBD was submitted in October 2005.

The 8th Conference of the Parties to the CBD decided that Parties' fourth national reports should be submitted by 30 March 2009 and agreed the parameters for the reports (Decision VIII/14). It further agreed that the reports should facilitate the provision of essential information to assess progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity Target, at national level, and through their contributions to the third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, at global level.

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