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As a geographically isolated country with many unique plants and animals and as a country dependent on activities such as agriculture, fishing and forestry for our economic wellbeing, New Zealand has a strong interest in species conservation. New Zealand therefore plays an active role in the operation of international treaties relating to species conservation with a particular interest in the protection of marine species such as whales.
International TreatiesThe need for international treaties in the area of species conservation has evolved from the same thinking that drove the first of the modern conferences on the environment, the Stockholm United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. An early example of this thinking was the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, concluded in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 (now generally referred to as the Ramsar Convention). Similar specifically focused treaties include the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, concluded in Bonn in 1972, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, concluded in Washington in 1973 (generally known as CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources concluded in 1980.
More recently agreements have taken a more holistic approach. At the United Nations conference on Environment and Development in 1992 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was concluded. This treaty considers all living things from three perspectives; protecting and conserving species, sustainably using biodiversity, and fairly and equitably sharing the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. With the development of genetic modification, parties to the CBD recognised that this area creates risks to biodiversity and agreed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Within the CBD, New Zealand’s unique geographic location and set of plants and animals gives it a strong interest in biosecurity issues and in the management of genetic resources.
