U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, COP 15 Commences in Canada
On December 7, 2022, Montreal, Canada hosted the opening of the Conference of Parties (COP-15), also known as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Due to the unrest in China, the two-week conference (7–19 December 2022) that was initially slated to take place in Kunming, China, was moved to Montreal, Canada.
Parties to the CBD normally meet every two years at events known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, to check in on progress and update the terms of the contract. That’s what’s starting now in Montreal (COP15 was supposed to begin in 2020, but it got delayed several times due to Covid; the first part of the event took place last year in Kunming, China).
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Three Himalayan medicinal plants enter IUCN Red List
Following a recent evaluation, three Himalayan medicinal plant species have been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature`s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Fritilloria cirrhosa, Meizotropis pellita, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea have all been classified as "vulnerable," "endangered," and "critically endangered," respectively.
These species are found in the Himalayan region spread across Nepal, India, China, Sikkim, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. IUCN is an international organisation (NGO) working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
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