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Convention on Biological Diversity

CBD final 11phils CBD 9140
Philippine delegates pose at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological DiversityandCOP-MOPandCOP9heldinSharmElSheikh,Egypt,on14-30November2018.[IISD/FrancisDejon (enb.iisd.org/biodiv/cop14/enb/27nov.html)]

Recognizing the importance of the earth's biological resources, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established an Ad Hoc Working Group of Technical and Legal Experts in May 1999 to prepare an international legal instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.

The text of the legal instrument was discussed and agreed upon in Nairobi on 22 May 1992 and it was called the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It aims to conserve biological diversity, promote sustainable use of components of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

The Convention was opened for signature of UN member states on 5 June 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit or the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. It entered into force on 29 December 1993.
 
Focal Office:
Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB)
Date Ratified:
Party since October 8, 1993
Focal Persons/Offices:
HON. ROY A. CIMATU
Secretary, DENR
Tel. No. (632) 926 3011, 920 4301, 929 6626 loc 2258

ATTY. JONAS R. LEONES
Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs, DENR
Tel. No. (632) 928 1186

FOR. RICARDO L. CALDERON
OIC-Assistant Secretary for Staff Bureaus and Director, DENR-BMB
Tel. Nos. (632) 924 6031 to 35 local 222, 925 8952 to 53

MS. NANCY R. CORPUZ
OIC-Division Chief, Biodiversity Policy and Knowledge Management Division, DENR-BMB
Tel. No. (632) 924 6031 to 35 local 210, (632) 920 4486

MS. NERMALIE M. LITA
Chief, Wildlife Regulation Section, Wildlife Resources Division, DENR-BMB
Tel. Nos. (632) 924 6031 to 35 local 222, 925 8952 to 53
Commitments:
1. Develop a National Strategy and Action Plan on biodiversity conservation and nationaldevelopment;
2. Identify and monitor the important components of biological diversity that need to be conserved and usedsustainably;
3.  Establish protected areas to conserve biological diversity while promoting environmentally-sound development around theseareas;
4. Rehabilitate and restore degraded ecosystems and promote the recovery of threatened species in collaboration with localresidents;
5. Respect, preserve and maintain traditional knowledge of the sustainable use of biodiversity with the involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities;
6. Preventtheintroductionof,control,anderadicatealienspeciesthatcould threaten ecosystems, habitats orspecies;
7.  Control the risks posed by organisms modified bybiotechnology;
8. Promote public participation, particularly when it comes to assessing the environmentalimpactsofdevelopmentprojectsthatthreatenbiodiversity;
9.    Educate people and raise public awareness about the importanceof biological diversity and the need to conserveit;
10.  Report on how the country is meeting its biodiversity goals. Parties are required to submit national reports, as agreed during COP5, every four years to provide information on measures taken for the implementation of the Convention and the effectiveness of thesemeasures.
Policy Issuances:
Republic Act No. 11038, or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act of 2018 amending Republic Act No. 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act 1992
Republic Act No. 9593 Tourism Act of 2009
Executive Order No. 533, s. 2006 Adopting Integrated Coastal Management as a National Strategy to Ensure the Sustainable Development of the Country's Coastal and Marine Environment and Resources and Establishing Supporting Mechanisms for Its Implementation
Republic Act No. 9147 Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001
Republic Act No. 9072 National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act of 2001
Executive Order No. 111, s. 1999 Establishing the Guidelines for Ecotourism Development in the Philippines
Republic Act No. 8550 Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (SEC. 11. Protection of Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species. SEC. 97. Fishing or Taking of Rare, Threatened or Endangered Species)
General Appropriations Act of 2017, 2018, 2019 A provision states that all government agencies, offices and local government units shall ensure that protection of biological diversity is integrated and mainstreamed into their development programs and projects.
DENR Administrative Order 2019-05 Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act 1992 as amended by Republic Act No. 11038, or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) Act of 2018
DENR Administrative Order 2018-05 Addendum to DENR Administrative Order No. 2007-17 on the Rules and Regulations Governing Special Uses Within Protected Areas
DENR Administrative Order 2018-21 Adoption of the Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System as a National Strategy for Forest and Biodiversity Protection in the Philippines
DENR Administrative Order 2017-11 Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and Their Categories
DENR Administrative Order 2016-26 Guidelines for the Implementation of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP)
DENR Administrative Order 2016-12 Adopting the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (PBSAP) 2015-2028
DENR Memorandum Circular 2016-745 Integration of Biodiversity in the Planning Implementation and Monitoring of Development Projects and Tenurial Instruments Issued by DENR
Sources / Relevant Links:
CBD Official Website
CBD Webpage, BMB
Status:

Updates

The National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP), which under Article 6 of the Convention is the principal instrument for implementing the Convention at the national level was prepared in 1997, updated in 2002 and again updated with the 2015-2028 Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP). The PBSAP 2015-2028, adopted in 2016, integrates and mainstreams CBD objectives into the national development and sectoral planning framework that includes measurable targets for CBD commitments. The PBSAP lists 113 actions that cover nine thematic areas, namely, forest, coastal and maritime, inland wetlands, cave and cave systems, protected areas, agrobiodiversity, urban biodiversity, invasive alien species and access and benefit-sharing. It involves more than 50 national and attached agencies as responsibility centers supported by other sectors in the society, such as the academe, local governments and civil society.

The First National Biodiversity Congress was held in Quezon City, Philippines on 22-24 May 2017 in celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity. Organized by BMB and UNDP, the theme was "Upwelling of Lessons, Sustaining Community Benefits in the Conservation of Landscapes and Seascapes."

As part of the country's commitments to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the BMB has been conducting regional consultation workshops for the preparation and submission of the 6th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the development of regional targets in support of the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP).
This Page was updated on 12 December 2019 and will be updated on 10 December 2020
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