Rio Conventions Pavilion TV, CBD COP11 (12/10/2012) – Jessica Smith, Senior Programme Officer in Land and Livelihoods at UNEP-WCMC, discusses the main focus of COP11 and how the developmental and environmental agendas are being merged.

Smith emphasises that this round of negotiations, for the first time, is focussing on national level implementation of successfully negotiated policy.

Smith also describes her work at UNEP where she seeks to make the biodiversity agenda better recognised and respected when working on issues of development and poverty reduction. She references the new national action plans as a good starting point for merging these issues that are often kept separate.

Smith also affirms that the private sector can be a key partner in biodiversity conservation and states that several companies are already taking a real lead in the field.