Earth in Brackets is reporting from CITES COP16

Earth in Brackets is reporting from CITES COP16! Follow us here as well as on facebook and twitter for information on the negotiations on the international trade in endangered species! Parties are coming together to discuss proposals on issues concerning transport of musical instruments (often made from rare woods), the international trade in timber, and  proposals on the statuses of sharks,...

Synthetic Biology and the Convention on Biological Diversity

Synthetic biology: What is it? Why does it matter? And why are some countries and NGOs pushing for this discussion at COP11? by Mariana Calderon On Thursday in Working Group 2, during a seemingly innocuous discussion on  Operations of the Convention, a relatively heated discussion caught my attention--delegates were debating a topic buried under agenda item 6.2 of the COP: Synthetic...

COP11 Policy Round Up no. 1

Policy updates from day four of the Conference by Mariana Calderon This morning, now the fifth day of the conference, I realized that there is no way I can follow everything I am interested in, nor everything that I see as most crucial to follow. Took me a while...However, with the help of the marvelous Earth Negotiation Bulletins, and by attending the CBD Alliance briefings and GYBN daily...

Video Blog: Youth briefing with Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias

by Mariana Calderon This morning, GYBN was able to meet with CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias: **Note -- two self-corrections, as I wasn't able to re-record: 1) Obviously, I'm reporting on COP 11, not 10; 2) The existing voluntary fund is for ILCs -- Indigenous and Local Communities, not LDCs.     Video Blog: Youth meeting with CBD Executive Secretary,...