Actividades de Control Interno

A number of agencies implement actions that are considered as part of the Brazilian biodiversity strategy. The main federal NBSAP actor is the Ministry of the Environment together with its executing agencies, but other ministries such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agrarian Development, Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Supply, among others, also implement actions that are directly connected to one or more CBD objective or that partly collaborate to achieve NBSAP and CBD goals. Such actions include conservation of biodiversity, ecosystems and agrobiodiversity; traditional knowledge and practices; access to genetic resources and technology; and sustainable use of biodiversity, among other CBD-related matters (see section 2.5.3).

Table II-2 below indicates the sections of this report which discuss progress and results of initiatives and activities that contribute to the implementation of CBD articles:

Table II-2: Contribution to the implementation of CBD articles

CBD Article 4th National Report section discussing progress of contribution to article implementation. Article 6 – NBSAPs/Overall measures for

biodiversity conservation and sustainable use

Sections 2.1 through 2.4 Article 7 – Identification and monitoring of

biodiversity

Sections 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.4, 1.2.5, 1.4, 2.4 Article 8 – In situ conservation (Protected areas;

Regulation and management of biological resources; Regulation and management of activities;

Rehabilitation and restoration; Alien species; Living modified organisms; and Traditional knowledge and practices)

Sections 1.2.4, 1.3.3, 1.4

104_{http://www.mma.gov.br/conabio}

Article 9 – Ex situ conservation Sections 1.2.3, 1.4 Article 10 – Sustainable use Sections 1.2.3, 1.4 Articles 11-14 – Measures to promote conservation

and sustainable use (Incentives; Research and training; Public education and awareness; Impact assessment and minimization of negative impacts)

Section 1.4

Articles 15-19 – Benefits (Access to genetic

resources and benefit sharing; Access to and transfer of technologies; Information exchange; Technical and scientific cooperation; Biotechnology management and benefit sharing)

Sections 1.2.3, 1.2.4

Articles 20-21 – Financial resources (Resources and Mechanisms)

Section 2.5

Implementation progress

Brazil has invested notable efforts and made progress in the implementation of CBD articles. Although no NBSAP document was developed, the government has been investing in the identification of priority areas and actions for biodiversity conservation and creating the necessary instruments and forums to make their implementation viable. An enabling political environment is being built and new environmental funds to support long-term conservation have been created (see section 2.5 below). The production and compilation of knowledge on Brazilian biodiversity has increased very significantly in the last 10 years and stronger, long-term measures for in situ and ex situ conservation are being applied. Efforts are also being applied by the Ministry of the Environment to involve other ministries and sectors in biodiversity conservation (e.g. PROBIO II project; see also Chapter 3 of this report), but even though environmental themes already permeate the discourse and some actions of some production sectors, the importance of biodiversity conservation needs to be more widely and deeply mainstreamed into processes and actions of all sectors.

The direct involvement of civil society and of the various production sectors in the development and implementation of environmental policies has also increased notably since the creation of the National Biodiversity Policy (PNB) in 2002. The relevance of this participation is further evidenced by the importance given to CONABIO‟s resolutions by the decision-making levels of the Ministry of the Environment. And even though PNB has not yet been completely implemented, its continuity is felt in other policy instruments (e.g., National Climate Change Policy, National Protected Areas Plan, National Water Resources Policy, National Policy for the Sustainable Development of Traditional Communities, and National Policy to Promote the Socio-biodiversity Production Chains, among others) developed by agencies other than the Ministry of the Environment since the creation of PNB, which represent a continuity of the work towards achieving CBD objectives.

Albeit significant, the progress achieved in the implementation of CBD commitments will not suffice to achieve the National Biodiversity Targets by 2010. The identification of a national set of targets was a significant advance, but the capacity and cross-sectoral integration necessary to reach the ambitious selected targets are still not fully in place.

Lessons learned

Brazil has adopted a broad participatory approach to develop specific policies to address biodiversity issues and CBD implementation. However, although the effective participation of a variety of sectors is important and necessary for constructing these instruments, such approach requires refinement to ensure they will result in practical instruments where the implementation of targets, goals, directives, actions and indicators is viable, distinction among these elements is clear, and where responsibilities and funding sources are clearly identified.

The importance of clear, measurable indicators and specific, achievable targets cannot be stressed enough. Good indicators and good targets smooth all aspects of strategy development and implementation, such as planning and prioritizing actions, measuring progress, reformulating policies, identifying needs and gaps, among other important aspects. It is also particularly important for biodiversity indicators and targets to be made politically valuable to ensure their broad adoption and the support from other sectors in the achievement of national biodiversity objectives and for indicator monitoring. Otherwise, indicators and targets reflect nothing more than wishes.

One of the most important advances obtained as a result of Brazil‟s CBD implementation was the gain of precise knowledge on existing information, capacity and instrumental gaps hindering implementation, which suggested ways to overcome these obstacles, such as the development of policies, creation or strengthening/restructuring of institutions, generation of knowledge, methodology development, access to technology, etc.

The need to mainstream biodiversity concepts across sectors is also weighting more heavily as CBD implementation progresses in Brazil; a weight felt particularly by the Ministry of the Environment as the agency responsible for and primary actor in the implementation process. Adequate integration of biodiversity conservation principles and targets in the policies, processes and actions of other sectors, particularly economic and production sectors, is crucial for obtaining support and enhancing/streamlining the country‟s progress towards achieving national and global biodiversity targets.

Intensifying the efforts to define the monetary value of biodiversity and ecosystem services will greatly advance the work to integrate biodiversity concepts and conservation targets in other sectors. It will particularly improve dialogue with economy-related sectors.