In October 1998 the Brazilian Ministry of Environment held an international workshop of experts - the "Workshop on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Pollinators in Agriculture, with Emphasis on Bees", to propose a framework for an International Initiative on Pollinators as a key element in this program. It was attended by 61 scientists from 15 countries and 5 International organizations.
As a consequence of this meeting a document was created in Brasilia entitled "The São Paulo Declaration on Pollinators", that was endorsed in May 2000 by the fifth Conference of Parties of Convention of Biological Diversity, held in Nairobi (section II of the decision v/5, that reviewed the implementation of decisions III/11 and IV/6 on the program of work on agrobiodiversity). COP5 established an International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators, hereafter referred to as the International Pollinator Initiative.
A Plan of Action was then prepared by FAO and the CBD Secretariat, endorsed by SBSTTA7, and recommended for adoption by CBD COP6. The Plan of Action of the IPI was accepted by member countries and adopted at COP 6 (decision VI/5).
Since then, most regions of the world have established or are in process of establishing wide-ranging pollinators initiatives. The core objectives of IPI are also kept by the regional Initiatives. They are:
-
Monitor pollinator decline, its causes and its impact on pollinator services
-
Address the lack of taxonomic information on pollinators
-
Assess the economic value of pollination and the economic impact of the decline of pollination services
-
Promote the conservation, the restoration and sustainable use of pollinator diversity in agriculture as well as in related ecosystems
To follow this agenda, the Brazilian Pollinator Initiative, under the support of FAO and other Agencies, invites you to participate in its next meeting, to be held in S. Paulo, October 27th - 30th 2003. Under this title S. Paulo Declaration on Pollinators Plus 5 we hope to join the regional Initiatives, to discuss common routes and some essential points: standardized methodologies, pollinators declining and management practices.
.see Acronyms