Conventions

Govind Tiwari
 IUCN
• International organization working in the field of
nature conservation.
• Established on 5 October 1948.
• International Union for Protection of Nature–
IUPN (1948–1956) and the World Conservation
Union (1990–2008).
• Not a member or part of the UN
• Known for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List
• 1975 IUCN started work on the World Conservation
Strategy.
The United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment held at Stockholm
June 1972
• Stockholm Conference.
• contains 26 principles.
• United Nations Environment Programme
The World Heritage Convention, 1972
• recognizes the way in which people interact
with nature.
• World Heritage List under UNESCO
• World Heritage Sites in India ???
Vienna Convention for the Protection
of the Ozone Layer
• It was agreed upon in 1985 and entered into
force in 1988.
• Vienna convention was the first multilateral
Environmental Agreement in context with the
Ozone depletion.
• It was agreed upon at the Vienna Conference
of 1985 and entered into force in 1988, thus
paving the way for a legally binding treaty as
its protocol called Montreal protocol.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer
• To protect the ozone layer by phasing out the
substance that cause harm to ozone layer.
• It came into force in 1989. India ratified it in 1992.
• The agreement has been amended to further reduce
and completely phase out CFCs and halons, as well as
the manufacture and use of carbon
tetrachloride, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs),
hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), methyl bromide,
and other ODCs.
• As a result of the international agreement, the ozone
hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering.
• It has been recognized as a global success.
 UNCLOS 1982
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) is also known as Law of the Sea treaty.
• This convention introduced a number of
provisions and covered the most significant issues
such as setting limits, navigation, archipelagic
status and transit regimes, exclusive economic
zones (EEZs), continental shelf jurisdiction, deep
seabed mining, the exploitation regime,
protection of the marine environment, scientific
research, and settlement of disputes.
UNCLOS

Internal waters Internal Waters refers to the all

water and waterways on the landward side of the
baseline of a country.

Territorial waters Territorial waters refer to 12

Nautical Miles from the baseline. In this area the
countries are free to set laws, regulate use and
also use its resources.

Archipelagic waters The state has full sovereignty

over these waters very much similar to the
internal waters.

Contiguous Zone The contiguous zone refers to

the area 12 Nautical Miles beyond the Territorial
waters.

Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) Exclusive

Economic Zones refers to the area from the edge
of the territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles
from the baseline.
 Ramsar Convention
• India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems.
• Varied topography and climatic regimes support and sustain diverse
and unique wetland habitats in our country.
• Wetlands are one of the most threatened of all ecosystems in India.
Loss of vegetation, salinization, excessive inundation, water
pollution, invasive species, excessive development and road
building, have all damaged the country’s wetlands.
• Ramsar Convention was signed on 2 February 1971 at Ramsar in
Iran. That date is celebrated as World Wetland Day now.
• It has two fold objectives viz. Conservation and sustainable
utilization of wetlands; and stop the encroachment and loss of
wetlands. This treaty is not a legal binding treaty and is not a part of
UN & UNESCO conventions.
• Ramsar secretariat is hosted by IUCN World Conservation Union in
Gland, Switzerland.
• India became a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention in October 1981 and
designated Chilika Lake (Orissa) and Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) as its first
two Ramsar Sites.
• Four additional sites were designated in 1990: Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan), Loktak
Lake (Manipur), Harike Lake (Punjab) and Wular Lake (Jammu & Kashmir).
• Some of the Ramsar sites of India:

Kolleru Deepor Beel

Pong Dam Lake Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary
Tsomoriri Chandertal Wetland
Hokera Wetland Surinsar-Mansar Lakes
Bhoj Wetland Sasthamkotta Lake
Vembanad-Kol Wetland Loktak Lake*
Bhitarkanika Mangroves Chilika Lake
Renuka Wetland Kanjli
Harike Lake Ropar
Rudrasagar Lake Sambhar Lake
Ashtamudi Keoladeo National Park
East Calcutta Point Calimere
Wular Lake Upper Ganga River
 CITES
• Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
• CITES was signed on 3 March 1973,
and entered into force on 1 July 1975
• CITES is an international convention that
combines wildlife and trade themes with a
legally binding instrument for achieving
conservation and sustainable use objectives
 Convention on Biological Diversity
• The Convention was opened for signature at
the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June
1992 and entered into force on 29 December
1993.
• The CBD Secretariat, based in Montreal, operates
under the United Nations Environment
Programme.
• The Convention on Biological Diversity was
inspired by the world community's growing
commitment to sustainable development.
UN Biodiversity Decade 2011-20
• Protect biodiversity→COP meetings, Aichi
Targets.
• Safe use of bio-technology→Cartagena
Biosafety Protocol
• Stop unfair use of Genetic resources→Nagoya
Genetic Resources Protocol
 • It is an international
Nagoya Protocol
agreement which aims at
sharing the benefits
arising from the utilization
of genetic resources in a
fair and equitable way.
• Adopted on 29 October
2010 in Nagoya, Japan and
entered into force on 12
October 2014.
Supporting mechanisms to monitor and ensure stakeholder compliance with
mutually agreed terms (MAT) and national Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
regulatory frameworks
 Cartagena Protocol
• Living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from
modern biotechnology that may have adverse
effects on biological diversity, taking also into
account risks to human health.
• It was adopted on 29 January 2000 and entered
into force on 11 September 2003.
• The Protocol established a Biosafety Clearing-
House (BCH), in order to facilitate the exchange
of scientific, technical, environmental and legal
information on, and experience with, living
modified organisms; and to assist Parties to
implement the Protocol.
 GMO
Glo Fish
 Aichi Targets
• In the COP-10 (CBD) meeting, the parties
agreed that previous biodiversity protection
targets are not achieved, So we need to do
comeup with new plans and targets.
• It is a ten-year framework for action by all
countries to save biodiversity.
• This short term plan provide a set
of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets,
collectively known as the Aichi Targets.
 Convention on Conservation of
Migratory Species
• The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bad Godesberg,
a suburb of Bonn(hence the name), and entered into
force in 1983.
• Also known as Bonn convention or CMS.
• An intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the
aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme,
concerned with the conservation of wildlife.
• The CMS is the only global and UN-based
intergovernmental organization established exclusively
for the conservation and management of terrestrial,
aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their
range.nd habitats on a global scale.
Amur Falcon
 Basel Convention
• Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary
Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
• Aims and provisions
• The provisions of the Convention center around the
following principal aims:
• the reduction of hazardous waste generation and the
promotion of environmentally sound management of
hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal;
• the restriction of transboundary movements of hazardous
wastes except where it is perceived to be in accordance
with the principles of environmentally sound management;
and
• a regulatory system applying to cases where transboundary
movements are permissible..
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants
• Signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate
or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants.
• Global treaty to protect human health and the environment from
chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods,
become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty
tissue of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human
health or on the environment.
• Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) can lead to serious
health effects including certain cancers, birth defects, dysfunctional
immune and reproductive systems, greater susceptibility to disease
and damages to the central and peripheral nervous systems.
• Given their long range transport, no one government acting alone
can protect its citizens or its environment from POPs.
• The Stockholm Convention is perhaps best understood as
having five essential aims:
• Eliminate dangerous POPs, starting with the 12 worst which
include Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Dioxins, Endrin,
Furans,Hexachlorobenzene, Heptachlor, Mirex, PCBs and
Toxaphene
• Support the transition to safer alternatives
• Target additional POPs for action
• Cleanup old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs
• Work together for a POPs-free future
• The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the designated
interim financial mechanism for the Stockholm Convention.
 United Nation Convention to Combat
Desertification
• To Combat Desertification in Those Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification,
Particularly in Africa (UNCCD).
• It was adopted in Paris, France on 17 June 1994 and
entered into force in December 1996.
• To help publicise the Convention, 2006 was declared
"International Year of Deserts and Desertification“.
• The UNCCD has been ratified by 195 states plus
the European Union.
• The Conference of the Parties (COP) oversees the
implementation of the Convention. Starting 2001
sessions are held on a biennial basis.
 Minamata Convention on Mercury

• A global treaty to protect human health and the

environment from the adverse effects of mercury.
• Convention is named after the Japanese
city Minimata.
• The convention has prohibited a myriad of products
containing mercury, and their production and trade will
be altogether prohibited by 2020.
• These products include batteries, compact fluorescent
lamps, switches and relays, soaps and cosmetics,
thermometers, and blood pressure devices.
• This convention prohibits vaccines containing mercury,
as well as dental fillings which use mercury amalgam.
Minamata Convention

Minamata Convention
include a ban on new
mercury mines, the phase-
out of existing ones, the
phase out and phase down
of mercury use in a number
of products and processes,
control measures on
emissions to air and on
releases to land and water,
and the international
regulation of the informal
sector for artisanal and
small-scale gold mining.