​What's the Convention on Biological Diversity?

We've all heard about the Convention on Biological Biodiversity (the CBD), and it sounds super fancy, but what is it really?  I could tell you that it was born out of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and officially came into being in 1993.  I could tell you that it's building blocks were starting to be put into place in 1987- maybe even further back in 1972.  At the end of the day however, to understand what the CBD is, all you need is one word: Treaty.  The CBD is an international UN treaty tasked with creating national strategies that conserve biodiversity, promote the sustainable use of biodiversity, and share, in a fair and equitable way, the benefits that arise from genetic resources.  Like I said though, it's a treaty- the CBD is an international treaty concerned with biological diversity.

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Thomas McAuley-Biasi