Conclusion

Please use this box to identify what specific activities your country carried out as a DIRECT RESULT of becoming a Contracting Party to the Convention, referring back to previous questions as appropriate:

1. Creation and development of the Belgian Clearing-House Mechanism.
2. CHM-partnership with various African countries.
3. Financial resources made available to GEF for biodiversity purposes.
4. Funding by the State Secretary for Development Co-operation of a number of parks and reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
5. Organisation of the colloquium 'Belgium and the Convention on Biological Diversity - A state of the art' (RBINS, 17.11.1999). Colloquium proceedings were published and made available to all.
6. Organisation of the symposia 'Botanical biodiversity and Belgium's expertise - BBB 2001' (NBGB, 19-20.10.2001) and 'Status and trends of the Belgian fauna, with a particular attention to alien species' (RBINS, 14.12.2001). Proceedings of both symposia will be available.
7. Publication of the First National Report of Belgium to the CBD (www.kbinirsnb.be/bch-cbd/belgium/contribution/natiorep1/content.htm).
8. Development of a country study on the Belgian biological diversity (in progress, expected publication date: 31.12.2001).
9. Development of a national biodiversity strategy (in development, publication is expected during the first part of 2002).
10. Promoting coherence and co-ordination between biodiversity, climate and desertification processes.
11. Set up of a steering committee 'Biodiversity Convention' under the CCIEP. In support of the steering committee, several thematic contact groups are now fully operational (e.g. forest biological diversity, access and benefit-sharing, national reporting, marine and coastal biological diversity, national strategy, etc).

Please use this box to identify joint initiatives with other Parties, referring back to previous questions as appropriate:

1. The CHM-partnership with various African countries (www.kbinirsnb.be/bch-cbd/belgium/partner.htm).
2. Input from Flanders in the feasibility study and workshop regarding the harmonisation of national reporting under co-ordination of UNEP.
3. Belgium contributed actively to the Informal Advisory Committee, Task Force and Steering Committee to the European CHM, together with other EU-countries with a well-developed CHM like inter alia Germany and Italy.
4. Development of the EURODETS (Nature Detectives on the Internet) project together with the Dutch, French, German and Italian CHM National Focal Points, under the co-ordination of the German CHM NFP.
5. Together with other EU countries, Belgium is strongly supporting the co-ordination between biodiversity, climate and desertification issues.

Please use this box to provide any further comments on matters related to national implementation of the Convention:

The Convention on Biological Diversity does not afford particular attention to urban biodiversity. The implementation of the Convention in urban areas, such as the Brussels Capital Region, is thus not evident. Although any discussion concerning biodiversity in the urban environment, particularly on a small scale, could seem trivial, we consider this as a lack in the Convention. Indeed, at times where almost half of the world's population lives in urban areas, such a debate has become inevitable. Not only cities are suitable for a high level of biodiversity, recent development has also shown that peri-urban areas often present a richer biodiversity than the surroundings of agricultural areas. Moreover, it is essential to make public and politicians (decision-makers) aware of the biodiversity which surrounds them in their own urban environment. This is merely a first step towards recognizing the importance of biodiversity in the natural areas such as forests, wetlands, etc. (For more information on country characteristics related to the implementation of the CBD, see text box starting on p. 9)

The wording of these questions is based on the Articles of the Convention and the decisions of the Conference of the Parties. Please provide information on any difficulties that you have encountered in interpreting the wording of these questions

In general:

• indications, like the priority scale (high, medium, low), are interpreted differently by the various stakeholders;
• some questions are somewhat vague and subject to interpretation (e.g. question 229);
• for some questions which can be applied at national or international level (e.g. in relation to Article 8(j) and dry and sub-humid lands), it should be clearly mentioned if an answer on national implementation is asked or on the contrary if information on co-operation projects or joint programmes is requested;
• some questions contain several sub-questions making it problematic to give one (straight) answer.
  

If your country has completed its national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP), please give the following information:

At this moment, the national NBSAP is in preparation. On the other hand, the Flemish and Walloon Region have both already developed regional strategies and management plans (see below) and the Brussels Capital Region included strategic principles in various management documents.

• Date of completion: 1997
• If the NBSAP has been adopted by the Government
• • By which authority? Government of Flanders
  • On what date? July 8, 1997
• If the NBSAP has been published please give
• • Title: MINA-plan 2. 'Het Vlaamse Milieubeleidsplan' 1997-2001.
  • Name and address of publisher: Jean-Pierre Heirman
    Environment, Nature, Land and Water Administration (AMINAL)
    Koning Albert II-laan 20
    B-1000 Brussels
  • ISBN: 90-403-0079-8
  • Price (if applicable): 300 BEF (= 7.44 EUR)
  • Other information on ordering:
• If the NBSAP has not been published
• • Please give full details of how copies can be obtained:
• If the NBSAP has been posted on a national website
• • Please give full URL: www.instnat.be/Natuurrapport/index.htm
• If the NBSAP has been lodged with an Implementing Agency of the GEF
• • Please indicate which agency:
• Has a copy of the NBSAP been lodged with the Convention Secretariat? No

• Date of completion: 1995
• If the NBSAP has been adopted by the Government
• • By which authority? Government of the Walloon Region
  • On what date? March 9, 1995
• If the NBSAP has been published please give
• • Title: Le Plan d'environnement pour le Développement durable.
  • Name and address of publisher: Ministry of the Walloon Region
    Directorate General for Natural Resources and Environment
    Avenue Prince de Liège 15
    5100 Jambes
  • ISBN:
  • Price (if applicable):
  • Other information on ordering:
• If the NBSAP has not been published
• • Please give full details of how copies can be obtained:
• If the NBSAP has been posted on a national website
• • Please give full URL: mrw.wallonie.be/dgrne/pedd/c0e_tm.htm
• If the NBSAP has been lodged with an Implementing Agency of the GEF
• • Please indicate which agency:
• Has a copy of the NBSAP been lodged with the Convention Secretariat? No

Please provide similar details if you have completed a Biodiversity Country Study or another report or action plan relevant to the objectives of this Convention

• National level: Country study on biological diversity in preparation (foreseen publication date: end of 2001).
• For Flanders:
  • - NARA-1: www.instnat.be
  • - MIRA: www.vmm.be
• For Wallonia:- State of the Environment Report 2000: environnement.wallonie.be/eew2000/

Please provide details of any national body (e.g. national audit office) that has or will review the implementation of the Convention in your country

In 1999, the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development evaluated the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Belgian federal level. The competences of the different federal departments concerned were listed. An overview of what's been and what should be done was given. Finally five recommendations were addressed to the Federal Government:

1. the need for more political coherence,
2. the need for adequate structures (e.g. national programme on biodiversity),
3. the need to make aware and implicate the concerned departments,
4. the need to develop a scientific base for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity,
5. the need to make aware and inform concerned actors and the general public.