The next question (146) is for DEVELOPING COUNTRIES OR COUNTRIES WITH ECONOMIES IN TRANSITION

30. 
    Please indicate with an “X” in the table below in which areas your country has applied for funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), from developed countries and/or from other sources. The same area may have more than one source of financial support. Please elaborate in the space below if necessary.
    

1. 
   Preparation of national biodiversity strategies or action plans
   

2. 
   National capacity self-assessment for implementation of Convention (decision VI/27)
   

3. 
   Priority actions to implement the Global Taxonomy Initiative (decision V/9)
   

4. 
   In-situ conservation (decision V/16)
   

5. 
   Development of national strategies or action plans to deal with alien species (decision VI/23)
   

6. 
   Ex-situ conservation, establishment and maintenance of Ex-situ conservation facilities (decision V/26)
   

7. 
   Projects that promote measures for implementing Article 13 (Education and Public Awareness) (decision VI/19)
   

8. 
   Preparation of national reports (decisions III/9, V/19 and VI/25)
   

9. 
   Projects for conservation and sustainable use of inland water biological diversity (decision IV/4)
   

10. 
    Activities for conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biological diversity (decision V/5)
    

11. 
    Implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (decision VI/26)
    

12. 
    Implementation of the Global Taxonomy Initiative
    

13. 
    Implementation of the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity
    

14. 
    Others (please specify)
    

1. 
   outcomes and impacts of actions taken;
   
2. 
   contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
   
3. 
   contribution to progress towards the 2010 target;
   
4. 
   progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
   
5. 
   contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
   
6. 
   constraints encountered in implementation.
   

30. 
    Please use the scale indicated below to reflect the level of challenges faced by your country in implementing the thematic programmes of work of the Convention (marine and coastal biodiversity, agricultural biodiversity, forest biodiversity, inland waters biodiversity, dry and sub-humid lands and mountain biodiversity).
    

1. 
   Lack of political will and support
   

2. 
   Limited public participation and stakeholder involvement
   

3. 
   Lack of main-streaming and integration of biodiversity issues into other sectors
   

4. 
   Lack of precautionary and proactive measures
   

5. 
   Inadequate capacity to act, caused by institutional weakness
   

6. 
   Lack of transfer of technology and expertise
   

7. 
   Loss of traditional knowledge
   

8. 
   Lack of adequate scientific research capacities to support all the objectives
   

9. 
   Lack of accessible knowledge and information
   

10. 
    Lack of public education and awareness at all levels
    

11. 
    Existing scientific and traditional knowledge not fully utilized
    

12. 
    Loss of biodiversity and the corresponding goods and services it provides not properly understood and documented
    

13. 
    Lack of financial, human, technical resources
    

14. 
    Lack of economic incentive measures
    

15. 
    Lack of benefit-sharing
    

16. 
    Lack of synergies at national and international levels
    

17. 
    Lack of horizontal cooperation among stakeholders
    

18. 
    Lack of effective partnerships
    

19. 
    Lack of engagement of scientific community
    

20. 
    Lack of appropriate policies and laws
    

21. 
    Poverty
    

22. 
    Population pressure
    

23. 
    Unsustainable consumption and production patterns
    

24. 
    Lack of capacities for local communities
    

25. 
    Lack of knowledge and practice of ecosystem-based approaches to management
    

26. 
    Weak law enforcement capacity
    

27. 
    Natural disasters and environmental change
    

28. 
    Others (please specify)
    

30. 
    Has your country incorporated the objectives and relevant activities of the programme of work into the following and implemented them? (decision VII/4)
    

1. 
   Your biodiversity strategies and action plans
   

2. 
   Wetland policies and strategies
   

3. 
   Integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans being developed in line with paragraph 25 of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
   

4. 
   Enhanced coordination and cooperation between national actors responsible for inland water ecosystems and biological diversity
   

The objectives have not been explicitly integrated into any work programmes but the overlap between ongoing national/European activity and the CBD objectives is substantial.

30. 
    Has your country identified priorities for each activity in the programme of work, including timescales, in relation to outcome oriented targets? (decision VII/4 )
    

1. 
   No
   

2. 
   Outcome oriented targets developed but priority activities not developed
   

3. 
   Priority activities developed but not outcome oriented targets
   

4. 
   Yes, comprehensive outcome oriented targets and priority activities developed
   

30. 
    Is your country promoting synergies between this programme of work and related activities under the Ramsar Convention as well as the implementation of the Joint Work Plan (CBD-Ramsar) at the national level? (decision VII/4 )
    

1. 
   Not applicable (not Party to Ramsar Convention)
   

2. 
   No
   

3. 
   No, but potential measures were identified for synergy and joint implementation
   

4. 
   Yes, some measures taken for joint implementation (please specify below)
   

5. 
   Yes, comprehensive measures taken for joint implementation (please specify below)
   

In particular the UK has taken an active role in:

1. 
   Harmonising reporting to CBD and Ramsar
   
2. 
   The establishment of outcome oriented targets and indicators at global and European level. UK work is lead by country (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) initiatives.
   
3. 
   Promoting and furthering understanding of the Ecosystem Approach.
   

30. 
    Has your country taken steps to improve national data on: (decision VII/4 )
    

1. 
   Goods and services provided by inland water ecosystems?
   

2. 
   The uses and related socioeconomic variables of such goods and services?
   

3. 
   Basic hydrological aspects of water supply as they relate to maintaining ecosystem function?
   

4. 
   Species and all taxonomic levels?
   

5. 
   On threats to which inland water ecosystems are subjected?
   

The way that we use water has a direct impact on the natural environment. This means that we must have a plan for the management of water that will protect the long term future of the environment while encouraging sustainable development.

The Environment Agency (www.environment-agency.gov.uk) has a duty to secure the proper use of water resources in England and Wales. They monitor water in the environment, and issue 'abstraction licences' to regulate who can take water from the environment. These specify the amount of water someone can take from a location over a period of time. There is a long term strategy for Water Resources that looks 25 years ahead and considers the needs of both the environment and society.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA – www.SEPA.org.uk) plays a similar role for Scotland and maintains the following hydrology related datatsets:

• 
  National:
  
  • 
    Bathing Waters Results
    
  • 
    Water Quality Classification Schemes and Results
    
  • 
    Harmonised Monitoring Data 1974-2003
    
  • 
    River Levels
    
  • 
    Sewage Treatment in the UK: Sensitive Areas July 2003 (DEFRA)
    
  • 
    Salmonid Waters defined using SEPA's baseline digital river network (5mb PDF)
    
• 
  Local:
  
  • 
    North of Scotland Water Quality 1999-2002 Report (23kb PDF)
    
  • 
    South West Scotland : Water Quality
    
  • 
    Water Quality in the Forth Estuary : 1980-99 (412kb PDF)
    
  • 
    Environmental Quality Objective Reports for Various Stretches of the Coastline in East Scotland
    
  • 
    Trace Metals in the Forth Estuary (338kb PDF)
    
  • 
    Assessment of TBT Impacts and Concentrations in Loch Ryan, Scotland (720kb PDF)
    

See answers to Questions 20, 22 and 23.

See answer to Question 21

30. 
    Has your country promoted the application of the guidelines on the rapid assessment of the biological diversity of inland water ecosystems? (decision VII/4 )
    

1. 
   No, the guidelines have not been reviewed
   

2. 
   No, the guidelines have been reviewed and found inappropriate
   

3. 
   Yes, the guidelines have been reviewed and application/promotion is pending
   

4. 
   Yes, the guidelines promoted and applied
   

1. 
   outcomes and impacts of actions taken;
   
2. 
   contribution to the achievement of the goals of the Strategic Plan of the Convention;
   
3. 
   contribution to progress towards the 2010 target;
   
4. 
   progress in implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
   
5. 
   contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals;
   
6. 
   constraints encountered in implementation.
   

• 
  country biodiversity or environment strategies
  
• 
  over 400 species and habitats action plans
  
• 
  local biodiversity action plans covering the vast majority of the Great Britain
  
• 
  a number of corporate biodiversity action plans
  

Increasingly implementation initiatives emphasize Sustainable Development objectives and the ecosystem approach as a way of working. Work is currently underway to map the UK biodiversity indicator initiatives to the framework of goals and indicators established within the strategic plan of the convention. The correspondence is we expect to be able to use this exercise to report on the progress towards the 2010 target, Millennium Development Goals and the goals of the strategic plan of the convention very shortly.

Details of progress made in implementation of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan can be found in the various reports written to date and other information on the UK Biodiversity website (www.ukbap.org.uk).