Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

To date, the Republic of Be- larus is the only country-Party to the Nagoya Pro- tocol on Access to Genetic Resources to have established a National Coordi- nation Centre on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing [ ] 59 Specially protected natural areas and biosafety considerations The Republic of Belarus has adopted a strategy for the conservation and sus- tainable use of biological diversity; a national strategy for the development of the system of specially protected natural areas to 1 January 2030; and a scheme for rational allocation of specially protected natural areas of national significance to 1 January 2025. Policy documents also cover the sustainable use of peatlands. By 2018, 8.72 per cent of the country’s territory comprised specially protect- ed natural areas (compared to 7.6 per cent in 2000). Management plans for special- ly protected natural areas include restrictions on land and water use, logging, and construction of industri- al enterprises and other hazardous fa- cilities. Protection measures include reed mowing and controlled livestock grazing. Rare natural landscapes and biotopes enjoy a special protection regime, covering 1,453 wild animal habitats and 1 758 wild plant habitats. Under action plans for animals and plants threatened with global extinc- tion, the number of bison has risen to 1,779 individuals in 2018 from 468 in 2000, while work has begun on restoring aquatic warbler populations to their natural habitat. The country has several dozen collections of genetic resources, 10 of which are recognized as a national treasure, including the Republican DNA Bank. Invasive alien species are receiving close attention thanks to the identi- fication of 13 species of wild animals and nine species of wild plants. The 863,000ha of marshes in the Republic of Belarus have an impor- tant role in maintaining a favourable regional hydrological regime. Over the past 10 years, restoration has taken place in 5.9 per cent of the country’s marshes. To date, the Republic of Belarus is the only country-Party to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Re- sources to have established a National Coordination Centre on Access to Ge- netic Resources and Benefit-sharing. In 2017, the Republic of Belarus trans- ferred genetic resources pursuant to the Nagoya Protocol’s requirements. With a view of implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the National Coordination Biosafety Centre was established in Belarus, giving rise to a law on safety in genet- ic engineering activity. A young European bison (Bison bonasus) enjoying the warmth of early spring Belarus S ince its ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Republic of Belarus has established effective mechanisms to achieve the global goals relating to biological diversity. The government has adopted strategic and policy documents and allocated budget financing to bring them into effect. The Interdepartmental Council for the Implementation of the CBD functions as a platform for debate on biodiversity-related issues involving of representatives of various state bodies, academia and civil society. Biodiversity is tracked through an inventory of flora and fauna and monitoring of ecosystems. thewaspfactory on flickr