6th Meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the 
Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)

Montreal, Canada 12-16 March 2001

The sixth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-6) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) begins today and will continue until 16 March 2001 in Montreal, Canada. The meeting will be followed by the second session of the CBD's Experts' Panel on Access and Benefit-Sharing, which will meet from 19-22 March 2001.

SBSTTA-6 delegates are expected to meet in two working groups. Working Group I will consider invasive alien species, focusing on: status and trends; a review of existing instruments and identification of gaps; and options for future work, including elaboration of the guiding principles, consideration of the need for a legal instrument and development of joint work programmes. Working Group II will discuss: scientific assessments; the Global Taxonomy Initiative; biodiversity and climate change, including cooperation with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; migratory species and cooperation with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Additionally, the Plenary will review progress reports on: ad hoc technical expert groups; assessment processes; marine and coastal biodiversity; and biodiversity of inland water ecosystems.

Cristián Samper (Colombia) will serve as the Chair of SBSTTA-6. The recommendations of both SBSTTA-6 and SBSTTA-7 (November 2001) will be reported to the sixth Conference of the Parties to be held from 8-19 April 2002, in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Above photo: A full scale replica of the Storm Wing Model (circa 1894 by Oto Lilienthal of Germany) is on exhibit at the ICAO Headquarters, where SBSTTA-6 will take place.

ENB Coverage of SBSTTA-5
CBD Secretariat web site with official documents and information for participants
SBSTTA Issues on: Invasive Alien Species | Climate Change and Biodiversity | GTI
SBSTTA-5 Recommendations
ENB's Introduction to CBD
German CHM COP Decisions Database