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Brazil's Ministry of Environment (MMA) took advantage of the recent presence in Venezuela of civil society organizations from all over the world at the 6th World Social Forum, which ended February 29, to beat the drum for the 8th meeting of the 188 signatory countries to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Conference of the Parties (COP8) debates are scheduled for March 20-31 in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba. "The presence of civil society, representing the perspectives of indigenous peoples and environmentalists, for example, can enrich the debates considerably," explains Pedro Ivo, a special advisor who represented the MMA at the forum. This is the first time a COP conference will be held in Brazil, which will also preside over this year's meeting. Brazil signed the Convention on Biological Diversity at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (Rio-92). Concomitant with the official event in Curitiba, there will be a series of parallel encounters involving traditional communities composed of Indians, quilombolas (descendants of runaway slaves), and gatherers of extractive products, as well as environmentalists and students of the environment. ABr
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