CBD Activities during UNFCCC COP 15 in Copenhagen

	Connecting Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Presentation of CBD Expert Group report, Friday, 11 December, Time: 1:00-2:30 pm, Room 3, Bella Center, Copenhagen, More: http://www.cbd.int/climate/doc/cbd-side-event-ahteg-cop-15-en.pdf
	Forest Biodiversity and Climate Change: Learning event in collaboration with UN-REDD Programme, GEF Secretariat and Conservation International at "Forest Day 3", on 13 December at the Radisson Falconer Hotel, Copenhagen. More: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/Events/ForestDay3/Introduction/
	Press Briefing on Biodiversity and Climate Change during High Level Segment: 16 December, 6:30 - 7:00 pm, main Press Conference Room, Hall A, ground floor, Bella Center
	Statements on Biodiversity and Climate Change, including REDD, will be presented to SBSTA and COP during the first week. They will be made available at: http://www.cbd.int/
	Key messages on forest biodiversity and REDD: CBD Technical Series 41 (2009). "Connecting Biodiversity and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation." and CBD Technical Series nr. 43 (2009) "Forest Resilience, Biodiversity, and Climate Change. A Synthesis of the Biodiversity/Resilience/Stability Relationship in Forest Ecosystems." are available at: http://www.cbd.int/
	Joint Exhibition Booth (CBD and UNCCD). Theme: Synergies between the Rio Conventions.

CBD/GTZ launch brochure on "REDD benefits: Biodiversity and Livelihoods"

National Ecological Gap Analysis updated: identifying sites for REDD biodiversity benefits

New CBD/IUCN good practice guide on "Sustainable Forest Management: Biodiversity and Livelihoods"

Hard copies of the above mentioned documents can be ordered free of charge from the CBD Secretariat: [email protected]

Engaging civil society on REDD in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: an example of best practice

Engaging civil society organizations and indigenous peoples can be a complex process, especially in countries where relationships have been tense in the past. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has now initiated implementing its readiness activities with support of the UN-REDD Programme, has been able to bridge the gaps. More: http://www.un-redd.org/Newsletter3_Congo_best_practice_en/tabid/2038/language/en-US/Default.aspx

TEEB summary for policymakers

'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) For Policy Makers' has analyzed the role of REDD for poverty and the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and biodiversity, and recommends adopting a REDD-plus mechanism and speedily implementing it in conjunction with other Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes. More: http://www.teebweb.org

Noel Kempff Climate Action Project: Pioneering REDD Multiple Benefits

The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia – one of the world’s first large-scale REDD efforts - has closed four timber concessions, doubled the size of a pre-existing national park, and provided sustainable alternatives to agricultural clearing by local communities. The project successfully pioneered scientific methods for measuring and monitoring carbon in forests, blazing the trail for other projects as well as market standards that are considered best-in-class today. The Nature Conservancy and its partners are working hard to make sure that any REDD regime created in the future is based on the highest standards of accountability and science. Noel Kempff provides an important case study for those standards and practices. More: http://www.cbd.int/forest/doc/noel-kempff.pdf

REDD can protect critical Zero Extinction sites

REDD and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) offer an opportunity to halt species extinction. A forthcoming study analyzes the provision of ecosystem services including the carbon value of the last remaining sites for a group of nearly eight hundred endangered and critically endangered species identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction, a consortium of leading conservation organizations that includes American Bird Conservancy, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund. The study shows that the direct and indirect benefits of REDD could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in developing countries, which would substantially exceed the estimated management costs for protecting these critical sites and the endangered species they harbor. More information on the Alliance for Zero Extinction: http://www.zeroextinction.org

WILD9 statement on wilderness, climate change and biodiversity

The 9th World Wilderness Congress, which was held in Merida from November 6-13, issued the "Mensaje de Merida", a statement on wilderness, climate change and biodiversity. For the text, and instructions on how to sign on, please see: http://www.wild.org/mensaje-de-merida/. The statement is endorsed by IUCN and by more than 30 other organizations.