Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an add-on agreement (a protocol) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was adopted in 2000 and came into force in 2003. It controls how living modified organisms, or GMOs (living things whose genes have been changed in a laboratory), are moved from one country to another. Its purpose is to protect native wildlife and human health from possible harm by GMOs.
Example
Suppose a country wants to export GM seeds for planting. Under the protocol, the importing country must first be informed and must agree before the shipment can cross the border. The protocol is named after Cartagena, Colombia, where talks on it were held.
Don't confuse with
- Nagoya Protocol (2010, in force 2014): the other CBD protocol. It deals with access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits, not GMO safety.
Related concepts
- Biodiversity conservation
- In situ conservation
- Ex situ conservation
- World Conservation Strategy
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- Nagoya Protocol
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
- 30 by 30 target
- CITES
- Convention on Migratory Species