Biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands

30. 
    Is your country supporting scientifically, technically and financially, at the national and regional levels, the activities identified in the programme of work? (Decisions V/23 and VII/2)
    

Australia’s international interests in this Programme of Work are primarily pursued through ratification of and engagement in the work of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (UNCCD). Australia signed the Convention in 1994 and ratified in September 2000. Most Australian support for the work of the Convention is channeled through the UN’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), especially through its new land degradation focal area.

Australia's experience in tackling land degradation is helping other countries to address their resource management problems. The Australian Government, through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), funds agricultural research projects managed collaboratively by research institutions in Australia and developing countries on subject areas that are of high mutual priority.

Land degradation and desertification are important focal points for this research. The Australian Government also funds international agricultural research centres, many of which operate within the framework of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural research (CGIAR).

Several of these centres are active in desertification research, and are supported by Australia both through core funding and funding for specific desertification related projects. At present ACIAR has 12 projects related to desertification, involving a total funding commitment of over $9 million. These project activities are currently concentrated in China, India and Southeast Asia. In 2003/04, ACIAR distributed core contributions of $1.55 million to four international agricultural research centres active in desertification research.

More generally, Australia’s overseas aid program assists developing countries in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development. The Australian Government, through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), supports a range of bilateral programs with desertification and land degradation components in developing countries, with total funding of approximately AUD $58.5 million. Each Australian initiative is aimed at alleviating the poverty that can lead to over use and damage of fragile arid landscapes, promoting sustainable land management practices and biodiversity conservation. AusAID also administers contributions to a range of multilateral organisations and Australian Non Government Organisations (NGOs) with mandates for combating drought, land degradation and desertification problems.

30. 
    Has your country integrated actions under the programme of work of dry and sub-humid lands into its national biodiversity strategies and action plans or the National Action Programme (NAP) of the UNCCD? (Decisions V/23, VI/4 and VII/2)
    

30. 
    Has your country undertaken measures to ensure synergistic/collaborative implementation of the programme of work between the national UNCCD process and other processes under related environmental conventions? (Decisions V/23, VI/4 and VII/2)
    

30. 
    Has your country assessed and analyzed information on the state of dryland biological diversity and the pressures on it, disseminated existing knowledge and best practices, and filled knowledge gaps in order to determine adequate activities? (Decision V/23, Part A: Assessment, Operational objective, activities 1 to 6)
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but assessment is ongoing
   

2. 
   Yes, some assessments undertaken (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, comprehensive assessment undertaken (please provide details
   below)
   

The National Land and Water Resources Audit has also developed the Australian Natural Resources Atlas to provide ready access to information to support natural resource management.

30. 
    Has your country taken measures to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of its genetic resources, and to combat the loss of biological diversity in dry and sub-humid lands and its socio-economic consequences? (Part B of annex I of decision V/23, activities 7 to 9)
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, many measures taken (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country taken measures to strengthen national capacities, including local capacities, to enhance the implementation of the programme of work?
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

2. 
   Yes, comprehensive measures taken (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, all identified capacity needs met (please provide details below)
   

1. 
   outcomes and impacts of actions taken;
   

1. 
   contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
   

2. 
   contribution to progress towards the 2010 target;
   
3. 
   progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
   
4. 
   contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
   
5. 
   constraints encountered in implementation.
   

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures to prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of key threats to mountain biodiversity?
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but relevant measures are being considered
   

2. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, many measures taken (please provide details below)
   

The protected areas under the program cover parks and reserves under three government jurisdictions and the program is recognised for the sophistication of its cross-border management regime. Details of the AAnp can be found at http://www.australianalps.deh.gov.au.

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures to protect, recover and restore mountain biodiversity?
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   No, but some measures are being considered
   

3. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

4. 
   Yes, many measures taken (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures to promote the sustainable use of mountain biological resources and to maintain genetic diversity in mountain ecosystems?
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but some measures are being considered
   

2. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, many measures taken (please provide details below)
   

As defined by the terms of the ‘Nationally Consistent Approach for Access to and Utilisation of Australia’s Native Genetic and Biochemical Resources’ (NCA), Australia is committed to facilitating the ecologically sustainable access and use of biological resources and enabling the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the use of Australia's genetic and biochemical resources, including recognising the need to ensure the use of traditional knowledge is undertaken with the cooperation and approval of the holders of that knowledge and on mutually agreed terms. In particular, principle 8 of the NCA provides for benefits gained from genetic resources to be used for biodiversity conservation in the area from which the resources were taken.

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures for sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of mountain genetic resources, including preservation and maintenance of traditional knowledge?
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   No, but some measures are being considered
   

3. 
   Yes, some measures taken (please provide details below)
   

4. 
   Yes, many measures taken (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country developed any legal, policy and institutional framework for conservation and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity and for implementing this programme of work? Heritage
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but relevant frameworks are being developed
   

2. 
   Yes, some frameworks are in place (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, comprehensive frameworks are in place (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country been involved in regional and/or transboundary cooperative agreements on mountain ecosystems for conservation and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity?
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but some cooperation frameworks are being considered
   

2. 
   Yes (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures for identification, monitoring and assessment of mountain biological diversity? Heritage Alpine
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but relevant programmes are under development
   

2. 
   Yes, some measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, comprehensive measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures for improving research, technical and scientific cooperation and capacity building for conservation and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity?
    

1. 
   No
   

1. 
   No, but relevant programmes are under development
   

2. 
   Yes, some measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

3. 
   Yes, comprehensive measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Has your country taken any measures to develop, promote, validate and transfer appropriate technologies for the conservation of mountain ecosystems?
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   No, but relevant programmes are under development
   

3. 
   Yes, some measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

4. 
   Yes, comprehensive measures are in place (please provide details below)
   

1. 
   outcomes and impacts of actions taken;
   

1. 
   contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
   

2. 
   contribution to progress towards the 2010 target;
   
3. 
   progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
   
4. 
   contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
   
5. 
   constraints encountered in implementation.
   

For details see the -AAnp Memorandum of Understanding at:

AAnp Strategic Plan at:

AAnp evaluation after ten years (now 17 years of successful operation) at:-

History of the AAnp Program (including an evaluation of the governance)

‘Managing the Australian Alps: a history of cooperative management of the Australian Alps national parks, at –

http://cres.anu.edu.au/publications/Managing%20the%20Australian%20Alps.pdf

30. 
    Has your country actively participated in subregional and regional activities in order to prepare for Convention meetings and enhance implementation of the Convention? (Decision V/20)
    

30. 
    Is your country strengthening regional and subregional cooperation, enhancing integration and promoting synergies with relevant regional and subregional processes? (Decision VI/27 B)
    

For example, the Australian Government (through its environment and overseas development assistance agencies) has recently commenced Convention capacity-building programs in selected Melanesian countries, and within the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), through the Pacific Governance Support Program (PGSP). This is designed to support developing countries undertaking GEF funded National Capacity Self Assessments to support improved environmental governance. The priority Conventions are the CBD, CCD and the UNFCCC.

30. 
    Is your country supporting the work of existing regional coordination mechanisms and the development of regional and subregional networks or processes? (Decision VI/27
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   No, but programmes are under development
   

3. 
   Yes, included in existing cooperation frameworks (please provide details below)
   

4. 
   Yes, some cooperative activities ongoing (please provide details below)
   

30. 
    Is your country working with other Parties to strengthen the existing regional and subregional mechanisms and initiatives for capacity building? (Decision VI/27 B)
    

30. 
    Has your country contributed to the assessment of the regional and subregional mechanisms for implementation of the Convention? (Decision VI/27 B)
    

1. 
   outcomes and impacts of actions taken;
   

1. 
   contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
   

2. 
   contribution to progress towards the 2010 target;
   
3. 
   progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
   
4. 
   contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
   
5. 
   constraints encountered in implementation.
   

Australia could not, again, devote the level of resources required to complete this Third report. Accordingly, there is real risk that future reporting requirements in this kind of format will not be met by the Australian Government. There are a number of reasons for our concern about the current reporting format requirements. These include;

• 
  Absence of any evidence that national reports effectively feed into long-term global monitoring and reporting of the state of the world’s biodiversity.
  

• 
  Perception that national reporting is no more than a matter of process.
  

• 
  The likelihood that developing country parties will be increasingly unable to report because of the resource intensiveness of the exercise.
  

• 
  The excessively legalistic approach implied by the format, for a Convention that is designed to be facilitative rather than proscriptive.
  

Australia strongly recommends that the Secretariat urgently begins to consider a substantially revised and much more streamlined reporting format