NBII
Access Newsletter
Newsletter of the National Biological Information Infrastructure
Summer 2002
(Volume 5, Number 3)
The NBII will have both a representative
and a portion of the U.S. government exhibit at the upcoming World Summit on
Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26-September
4, 2002. The Johannesburg Summit will bring together tens of thousands of participants
from around the world to focus attention on the challenges of improving people’s
lives and conserving our natural resources.
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the international community adopted
Agenda 21, a global plan of action for sustainable development. Most of the
objectives of Agenda 21, however, have not been met. The Johannesburg Summit,
often referred to as “Rio+10,” will provide an opportunity to identify quantifiable
targets for better implementing of Agenda 21. “It is time,” said Nitin Desai,
Johannesburg Summit Secretary-General, “to try new approaches that can improve
the lives of everyone without destroying the environment.”
Six people from the U.S. Geological Survey, including an NBII representative,
will participate in the U.S. delegation to the Summit. Fact sheets, a poster,
and continuous loop presentations viewable at the U.S. exhibit will inform Summit
delegates about the NBII and the international initiatives in which the NBII
is a partner. Recognizing the Summit themes of sustainability and biodiversity
conservation, the NBII materials will include highlighting the Inter-American
Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) partnership for sustainable development,
invasive species as a threat to biodiversity, and NBII international programs.
The Johannesburg Summit is expected to result in the announcement of new partnership
initiatives aimed at achieving results. While partnering is a major departure
from traditional approaches for sustainable development under the Summit plan
of action (where governments are responsible for action), partnering is central
to the NBII concept. NBII participation in international biodiversity initiatives,
including the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Clearing-House Mechanism
(CHM), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, IABIN, and the Man and
the Biosphere effort, among others, will illustrate the NBII theme, “Partnering
for Success.”
The CHM <www.biodiv.org/chm/> is an international initiative of the Convention
on Biological Diversity (1992). The CHM is designed to facilitate technical
and scientific cooperation among countries and to provide global access to and
exchange of information on biological diversity. IABIN, the Inter-American Biodiversity
Information Network <www.nbii.gov/iabin> is an international initiative
to provide greater coordination among Western Hemisphere countries in the collection,
sharing, and use of biodiversity information. Additional information about the
Johannesburg Summit is on the Web at <www.johannesburgsummit.org>.