You have probably heard of the UN Convention on Climate Change, which emerged from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. What is less well known is that two further conventions were also born at the summit: the Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The three were always intended to be implemented together as humankind’s response to the global environmental crisis. The aims of the CBD , which has been ratified by almost every country on the planet, are the conservation of nature, the sustainable use of its products (for example timber from rainforests) and the sharing of benefits fairly by everyone.

Every two years, states that have joined the CBD meet in a “Conference of the Parties” (COP), the global decision-making body that oversees implementation of the convention. This year’s meeting is the 17th – known as COP17.…