CBD ADVISORY BODY DISCUSSES FOREST TRADE. At the seventh meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-7) (12-16 November), discussions focused mainly on forest and to some extent agricultural biodiversity. The deliberations on forest biodiversity covered a broad range of issues including trade, illegal harvesting, and the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The outcome of the meeting was a series of recommendations for the consideration of the CBD Conference of the Parties (COP) at its next meeting on 8-26 April 2002. The forest biodiversity recommendation outlines a suggested work programme, consisting of three elements, namely conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing; institutional and socioeconomic enabling environment; and knowledge, assessment and monitoring. Among other issues, the work programme explicitly reflects the need to prevent the illegal importation of non-timber forest products not covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Subject to its adoption by the COP, it would also investigate the impacts of illegal logging and trade. Documents of the meeting are available online. For daily coverage, see IISD Linkages.
US KEEPS UP PRESSURE ON JAPAN TO HALT WHALING. In response to the departure of the Japanese whaling fleet from Shimonoseki on 5 November, the US continued to put pressure on Japan to halt the annual hunt on Antarctic minke whale. Voicing the only significant official international criticism of the Japan’s 2001-2002 whale hunt, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that the US strongly backed international calls on Japan to stop the hunt, which Japan claims is only carried out for scientific purposes. Japan’s decision to continue whaling despite concerns expressed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) regarding a possible decline of the minke population was also strongly condemned by environmental groups. Greenpeace furthermore accused Japan of trying to obtain support from other nations ahead of the next meeting of the IWC in May 2002. "Japan wants a return to high seas whaling with factory ships, and it’s willing to use bribery to get it," said John Bowler, Greenpeace campaign coordinator. "U.S. Pressures Japan to Stop Minke Whale Hunt," ENS, 13 November 2001.