CBD milestones in Belgium

● United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

-Endorsement of the CBD: 5 June 1992 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development)
-Ratification of the CBD: 22 November 1996
-Entry into force: 20 February 1997
-Establishment of the Coordination Committee for International Environment Policy (CCIEP):
5 April 1995, chaired by FPS Health, Food Chain Security and Environment – DG Environment
-Set up of the Steering Committee “Biodiversity Convention” and “Nature”: 1995
-Designation of the CBD National Focal Point: July 1995, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
-Regional Focal Points: ANB (Flanders), Brussels Environment (Brussels), DGARNE (Wallonia).
-Adoption of Belgium’s National Biodiversity Strategy: October 2006, update in 2013
-National reports on implementation of the CBD: 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2014
-Mid-term state of play of the NBS: 2012
-Thematic reports: Indicators (2001), Forests (2002), Protected areas (2003, 2007, 2009), Global Taxonomy Initiative (2004), Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (2009)

The Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) under the CBD is an information-sharing mechanism set up to promote and facilitate scientific and technical cooperation in relation to the three objectives of the Convention. It also plays an important role in developing public awareness on these three objectives. The CHM operates mainly, but not exclusively, through the Internet and has the form of a structurally decentralised and distributed network of Parties and partners working together to facilitate the implementation of the Convention. Belgium has been an active participant since 1996. The URL of the website is www.biodiv.be
Belgian species list (all things considered): www.species.be

● Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB)

-Endorsement: 24 May 2000
-Ratification: 15 April 2004
-Entry into force: 14 July 2004
-Designation of the Biosafety Focal Point: September 2004, the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment
-Endorsement of the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: 20 September 2011
-The Biosafety Clearing-House under the CBD is the information sharing mechanism for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (http://bch.cbd.int). Belgium has been an active participant since 2004. The URL of the website is
http://www.biosafetyprotocol.be

● Nagoya Protocol on ABS

-Endorsement of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS: 21 September 2011
-Ratification: ongoing

Publications of the CBD National Focal Point:
The book ‘Biodiversity in Belgium, a country study’ (2003) presents a panorama of the status of knowledge and trends of biodiversity in Belgium (including prokaryotic, fungal, botanical and zoological diversity). The publication ‘La biodiversité en Belgique, un aperçu / Biodiversiteit in België, een overzicht’ (2013) presents an updated summary of the country study for the general public and is freely available upon request so as the publication ‘La biodiversité en Belgique, une question vitale / Biodiversiteit in België, van vitaal belang’ (2013) and ‘366 gestes pour la biodiversité / 366 tips voor biodiversiteit’ (2010), information folder on the NBS (2014).
Contact to order publications: Biodiversity, 29 rue Vautierstraat, 1000 Brussels, tel: 02 627 45 45, e-mail: biodiversite<at>naturalsciences.be.