"The CBD process should focus on implementing commitments made by governments over the past 20 years," S Faizi of the Indian Biodiversity Forum said at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the venue of the conference.
"COP 10 in Nagoya moved the biodiversity agenda significantly forward. We have a new set of 20 targets and only eight years to achieve them. COP 11 does not need to generate another stack of documents and hold endless meetings. We actually know what needs to be done," he said.
Global Forest Coalition's executive director Simone Lovera, said "We have seen how lack of funding has frustrated implementation of COP decisions and led to donor and corporate interests unduly influencing biodiversity policy making. This is evident in the promotion of risky and untested innovative financial mechanisms."
"We reject corporate-driven agendas to promote 'bioeconomy' and the financialisation of nature through perverse incentives like subsidies for biofuels, dangerous experiments like synthetic biology, genetically modified trees and geo-engineering," she said.
Rachel Smolker of 'Biofuel Watch' expressed concern over large-scale industrial bio-energy expansion, mostly wood burning for electricity, and alleged that this was getting policy support.
Souparna Lahiri of the All India Forum of Forest Movement claimed that the Forest Rights Act was not being implemented effectively in Chattisgarh and other places.
Indu Netam of the Adivasi Samata Manch in Chattisgarh alleged that government agencies were trying to plant trees on the land of tribals, thereby taking away their lifeline.
