World Conservation Strategy

Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 14 "Biodiversity and Conservation"

Meaning

The World Conservation Strategy was launched in 1980 by IUCN, UNEP and WWF. It is a guiding plan, not a binding treaty. It set out six steps:

1. save endangered species
2. plan to prevent extinction
3. preserve varieties of crops, livestock and timber trees and their wild relatives
4. protect the habitats of those wild relatives
5. safeguard the places where species feed, breed, rest and nurse their young
6. regulate the wildlife trade

Example

India's National Gene Bank at NBPGR, New Delhi, stores seeds of crop varieties. This is step 3 in practice.

Don't confuse with

• Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio, 1992): a legally binding treaty with three aims (conservation, sustainable use and fair sharing of benefits). The 1980 strategy only gave guidance.

Related concepts

• Biodiversity conservation
• In situ conservation
• Ex situ conservation
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
• Nagoya Protocol
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
• 30 by 30 target
• CITES
• Convention on Migratory Species

Read more

• Conservation strategies and the global regime: in situ, ex situ, CBD and its offspring