The biological resources of the earth are essential to our well being and our economy; however, declines in biodiversity are taking place more quickly than at any time in human history both on land, in fresh waters, and in the sea. This has led to degradation in many of the world’s ecosystem services. Adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came into force in 1993 and was the first global agreement to recognise that the conservation of biological diversity is “a common concern of humankind” and an integral part of sustainable development.  It formed a strategy to protect all aspects of biological diversity: genetic resources, species and ecosystems.

The three main objectives of the CBD are:

• the conservation of biodiversity;
• the sustainable use of biodiversity; and
• the sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources (including by appropriate access to these resources).