A international conference on biodiversity kicked off Monday in Nagoya, central Japan, to forge strategic goals to curb the rate of species extinction and environmental destruction, DPA reported.
Delegates from 193 member countries, business leaders and non-governmental organizations gathered for the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
During the two-week meeting, the parties will also discuss how to share the benefits derived from genetic resources.
But developed and less-developed countries are divided over some of the major issues, prompting concern that divisions could stall talks as it has done in climate negotiations.
The CBD, which was born out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, along with the United Nations climate change convention, has three main objectives: to conserve biological diversity; to use biological diversity in a sustainable way; and to share the benefits of genetic resources fairly and equitably.
In 2002, the parties had pledged to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss "significantly" by 2010 to alleviate poverty and benefit all life, but they were unable to achieve the goals.
It was "obvious that the world community has failed to meet this target," Jochen Flasbarth, president of the federal environmental agency in Germany and the outgoing president of COP 9, said at the conference. "We are still losing the diversity, the richness, the beauty and the capital of our planet."
"What the world most wants from Nagoya are the agreements that will stop the continuing dramatic loss in the world's living wealth and the continuing erosion of our life support systems," said Jim Leape, WWF International Director General.