§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the aims of the Government at the Conference of the Parties to the Biodiversity Convention meeting in Bratislava. [41455]
§ Mr. MeacherThe UK, along with other Member States of the European Union, has already taken steps to implement the CBD at a national and European level. We are pressing for this Conference to agree further action at all levels in a number of areas. These include decisions on: inland water ecosystems; marine and coastal ecosystems; agricultural biodiversity; forests; benefit sharing; and the Biosafety Protocol. We are also striving to improve the operation of the Convention so that it becomes a much more effective force in the world. I represented the UK at a ministerial Roundtable at the start of negotiations which made recommendations on private sector activities, sustainable tourism, and the integration of biodiversity into policy decisions.