Notification 2013-070

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to draw your attention to the Bridging Agriculture and Conservation Initiative and invite you to engage in and support its implementation. Food and nutrition security is obviously of paramount importance to us all and agriculture is the dominant use of land and water. The on-going discussion of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals has revitalised long-standing debate about the most appropriate agriculture development model and the potential conflicts, or synergies, with the conservation agenda. This topic is central to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011 – 2020) and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The Bridging Agriculture and Conservation Initiative highlights that sustainable intensification of food production can be achieved by respecting the ability of landscapes to regenerate and provide multiple goods and services, including those required to support agriculture, and thereby simultaneously reduce the ecological footprint of agriculture. This new paradigm arises from the convergence of interests of agriculture and conservation communities through working together at the landscape level, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of unilateral, sector, approaches based on an over-emphasis on “productivity” alone to achieve food security or an over-reliance on protected areas as the only means to conserve biodiversity. The initiative commits to build, and leverage existing, science, including sound economics, to underpin critical progress and to raise awareness among decision makers, including farmers, conservationists, policy makers, the private sector and funders of agriculture and conservation. I would like to thank Bioversity International, supported by the Christensen Fund and the Fundação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, for bringing together more than 16 global leaders, spanning agriculture, conservation, private sector and public interests, at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 12 July 2013, to commit to finding, communicating and advocating for new solutions. The outcome declaration of this meeting is attached for your reference. Bioversity International is kindly leading this initiative and further details are available at the CBD Biodiversity Champions website at: http://www.cbd.int/champions/list/. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organisations