World’s best biodiversity laws shortlisted for Future Policy Award 2010

Press Release

Winners will be announced on 25 October 2010, 6:30pm, Nagoya Congress Centre

Nagoya/Hamburg/Montreal, 21 October 2010 – For celebrating the world’s best biodiversity policies with the Future Policy Award 2010, ministers, decision-makers, media and donors will gather on 25 October at an official ceremony in Nagoya, Japan. The Future Policy Award, established by the World Future Council, honours laws with particularly positive effects on the living conditions of current and future generations. It is the first award to celebrate policies rather
than people on an international level. This year’s award gala is hosted by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as part of the official programme of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention.

Six policies out of 16 nominations are shortlisted for this year’s Future Policy Award. “The nominated laws are the most exemplary existing legal frameworks for safeguarding and enriching Earth’s biological diversity,” said Jakob von Uexkull, Founder of the World Future Council. The short listed candidates are:

• Costa Rica: Biodiversity Law, 1998

• Japan: Basic Biodiversity Act, 2008

• Norway: Nature Diversity Act, 2009

• Australia: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act, 1975, and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999

• Namibia: Marine Resources Act, 2000

• Philippines: Wildlife Resources and Conservation Act, 2001

The award jury was composed of 10 experts on sustainability from all five continents. Among them were Jakob von Uexkull (Founder of the World Future Council and the Right Livelihood Award), Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry (former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice), Vandana Shiva (Winner of the Right Livelihood Award and Ecologist from India) and Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (Chief, Environment & Sustainable Development Law, IDLO). The award is not endowed, rather it consists of a highly distinguished glass
sculpture created by one of Germany’s top designers, Peter Schmidt. A documentary film on the winning policy has been specially made in order to raise public awareness and to promote international distribution of such an excellent policy.

Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity: “The Future Policy Award 2010 recognizes, encourages and rewards exemplary biodiversity laws and regulations, which are essential to the successful implementation of the post-2010 biodiversity strategy.”

Ms Alexandra Wandel, Executive Member of the Management Board of the World Future Council: “If we continue to disregard the mounting evidence of biodiversity loss and if governments continue to fall short of the UN Biodiversity targets, the diversity of life on Earth will be lost at a greatly accelerated rate. The Future Policy Award 2010 highlights the fact that sustainable policies already exist and that the negative trends of biodiversity destruction,
exploitation and species at risk of extinction can be stopped by asserting political will.”

Date reminder (interviews with host and recipients of the award can be booked for Monday, 25 October after the ceremony through Ingrid Heindorf on + 81 (0) 81 803 6600236)

Date: Monday, 25 October 2010

Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm

Location: Nagoya Congress Centre, Courtyard, 1-1 Atsuta-nishimachi, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya

Media Contact

The World Future Council

The World Future Council brings the interests of future generations to the centre of policy making. Its up to 50 eminent members from around the globe have already successfully promoted change. The Council addresses challenges to our common future and provides decision-makers with effective policy solutions. In-depth research underpins advocacy work for international agreements, regional policy frameworks and national lawmaking and thus produces practical and tangible results. The World Future Council is registered as a charitable foundation in Hamburg, Germany. For more information visit www.worldfuturecouncil.org

The International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on Earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is urged to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on Earth: biodiversity. The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is the central organising body for this year. For more information see www.cbd.int/2010

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 193 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The Secretariat of the Convention is located in Montreal.

For more information visit www.cbd.int www.cbd.int/2010

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10)

The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10) takes place in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, in Japan from 18 to 29 October 2010. For more information visit www.cbd.int/cop10 and www.cbd.int/mop5