Chapter 1 - Preamble

Section 1 - Social & Economic Dimensions

Section 2 - Conservation and Management of Resources
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22

Section 3 - Strengthening the Role of Major Groups

Section 4 - Means of Implementation

Complete text of Agenda 21: Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Conservation of Biological Diversity

The essential goods and services on our planet depend on the variety and variability of genes, species, populations and ecosystems.

Biological resources feed and clothe us, and provide housing, medicines and spiritual nourishment. Those resources are found in natural ecosystems of forests, savannahs, pastures and rangelands, deserts, tundras, rivers, lakes and seas. They are also in farm fields, gardens, gene banks, botanical gardens and zoos.

The loss of the world’s biological diversity continues, mainly from habitat destruction, over-harvesting, pollution, and the inappropriate introduction of foreign plants and animals. This decline in biodiversity is largely caused by humans, and represents a serious threat to our development.

Urgent and decisive action is needed to conserve and maintain genes, species and ecosystems. Recent advances in biotechnology show that genetic material in plants, animals and microorganisms has potential for agriculture, health and welfare of people and for environmental protection.

Governments, with the cooperation of the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and financial institutions, should:

• Conduct national assessments on the state of biological diversity.
• Develop national strategies to conserve and sustainably use biological diversity and make these part of overall national development strategies.
• Conduct long-term research into the importance of biodiversity for ecosystems that produce goods and environmental benefits.
• Encourage traditional methods of agriculture, agroforestry, forestry, range and wildlife management which use, maintain or increase biodiversity. Involve communities, including women, in the conserving and managing ecosystems.
• Implement fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of biological and genetic resources between the sources and users of these resources. Indigenous people and their communities should share in the economic and commercial benefits.
• Protect natural habitats. Areas can be further protected by promoting environmentally sound development around them.
• Promote the rehabilitation of damaged ecosystems, and the recovery of threatened and endangered species.
• Develop sustainable uses of biotechnology, and ways of safely and equitably transferring it, particularly to developing countries.

Governments, business and development agencies need to learn more about how to evaluate the impact of development projects on biological diversity, and how to calculate the costs of losing this diversity. Projects likely to have significant impacts should undergo environmental impact assessments involving wide public participation.

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