Links to Biodiversity related websites

CBD (www.biodiv.org) 
The objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from commercial and other utilization of genetic resources. The agreement covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources.

CITES (www.cites.org)
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Through its three appendices, the Convention accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 plant and animal species.

CMS (www.cms.int)
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS, or the Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. Parties to the CMS work together to conserve migratory species and their habitats by providing strict protection for the most endangered migratory species, by concluding regional multilateral agreements for the conservation and management of specific species or categories of species, and by undertaking co-operative research and conservation activities. 

 

ACCOBAMS (http://www.accobams.org/)

 

The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area is ‘a cooperative tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

ACCOBAMS aims to reduce threats to cetaceans in Mediterranean and Black Sea waters and improve our knowledge of these animals, and is the first Agreement binding the countries in the two sub-regions, enabling them to work together on a matter of general interest. ACCOBAMS was concluded in the auspices of Convention on Migratory Species in 1996 and entered into force in 2001

AEWA (https://www.unep-aewa.org/)

The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds (AEWA) is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory water birds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.

Developed under the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), AEWA brings together countries and the wider international conservation community in an effort to establish coordinated conservation and management of migratory water birds throughout their entire migratory range.

Ramsar (www.ramsar.org)
The Convention on Wetlands (popularly known as the Ramsar Convention) provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The convention covers all aspects of wetland conservation and wise use, recognizing wetlands as ecosystems that are extremely important for biodiversity conservation in general and for the well-being of human communities. 

WHC (www.whc.unesco.org)
The primary mission of the World Heritage Convention (WHC) is to identify and conserve the world's cultural and natural heritage, by drawing up a list of sites whose outstanding values should be preserved for all humanity and to ensure their protection through a closer co-operation among nations.

SPA/RAC (http://www.rac-spa.org/)

The Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas was established by the contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its protocols in order to assist Mediterranean countries in implementing the protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean.