COP11: UN biodiversity meeting on progress made and challenges to implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 - 2020

 

Hyderabad:  Governments are meeting in Hyderabad, India, from 8 to 19 October 2012, at the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity to agree on the next steps in support of implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, agreed at COP 10 in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

The Strategic Plan, a ten-year framework for action in support of implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, have been established as the overall framework for biodiversity work in the United Nations system. In line with their commitments in Nagoya, countries have been updating their national biodiversity strategies and action plans to achieve the Aichi Targets.

COP 11 is expected to review progress so far and to produce decisions that will provide further momentum for implementation of the targets.

The mobilization of resources for action on the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets will be at the top of the agenda.  Drawing upon several reports and extensive preparatory consultations, including a recent high-level panel on financing convened by India and the United Kingdom, governments will agree on targets for the mobilization of financial resources, as well as on the baseline and a framework for reporting.

The status of biodiversity in the world’s oceans will also be highlighted.  A report on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) will be presented.  The report, the product of two year’s work by scientific experts, provides a scientifically rigorous assessment of the status of biodiversity in these areas.  Discussions on various other threats to marine biodiversity will also take place, including ocean acidification, marine debris, coral bleaching and underwater noise, and will feed into the broader international work on oceans, including the recent Rio+20 outcome and the UN Oceans Compact.

Measures to support restoration of up to 15% of degraded ecosystems, one of the Aichi Targets, will also be under discussion.  In the context of climate change and food security, the restoration target is of central importance to sustainable development, contributing to the well-being of people around the world.

Governments will also hold discussions addressing the way forward in preparation for the entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, adopted in 2010.  Six of the 50 ratifications required for the entry into force have been deposited with the United Nations to date, with more expected before the end of the year.

“Two years ago, in Nagoya, the world set the framework for action to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.  “Since then, we have seen significant progress around the world.  This is encouraging, but we know that we need to do more in order to realize the ambitions of the Strategic Plan and to achieve the Aichi Targets.  This will be challenging, as it involves short-term costs.  However, the environmental social and economic benefits will be realized in the long term.  Most of the time, this will simply mean spending existing resources in a different way.”

He said “The awareness and understanding of the contribution of biodiversity in sustaining human well-being, and indeed in supporting production in our economies is a key to stop the loss of biodiversity.  To address this, COP 11 will specifically strengthen its engagement with multiple stakeholders, including local governments, civil society and the private sector. We need biodiversity to be discussed not as a problem but as a solution to the challenges facing the world.”

A Summit of cities and local authorities – Cities for Life, will run in parallel on 15 and 16 October.  The Summit will include new commitments by local governments to implementation of the Strategic Plan.  A ground breaking report on Cities and Biodiversity will also be released on the 16^th.

Similarly, island states from around the world will also convene a summit to discuss new commitments in support of island biodiversity, and to celebrate “bright spots” – examples of conservation success from around the world.

COP 11 comes just two years into the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, which is dedicated to the implementation of our global strategy for biodiversity.  During the meeting, a Heads of Agencies meeting in support of the Decade will be convened, where key institutions and international organizations will discuss their commitments in support of the biodiversity agenda.

Over 160 countries are expected to participate in the meeting, which takes place at the Hyderabad International Conference Centre.

A ministerial segment is planned from 16 to 19 October 2012, where heads of State and ministers of environment will engage in discussions related to the key themes of the Conference.

Novel strain of Coronavirus: Sars-like virus is now named London1_novelCoV2012

Robert Roos

Sep 25, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – As the investigation of two severe illnesses associated with a novel coronavirus continued today, the United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency (HPA) released a preliminary phylogenetic tree for the virus and tentatively named it "London1_novel CoV 2012."

As reported previously, the virus has been identified in a 49-year-old Qatari man who is in a critical care unit in a London hospital and in a 60-year-old Saudi Arabian man who died in July in his home country. Both cases involve pneumonia and kidney failure, and the Qatari man had traveled to Saudi Arabia before he got sick.

In 2003, a then-novel coronavirus caused the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, which killed 774 people worldwide. Other coronaviruses are linked to the common cold.

The phylogenetic tree, constructed from partial sequences from the polymerase gene of various coronaviruses, shows that the new one is closely related to bat coronaviruses. The HPA also released the partial sequence for the virus's polymerase gene.

In other developments, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today the available information suggests that the current risk associated with the new virus is low.

Noting that there has been no sign of human-to-human transmission, the agency said, "The newly identified coronavirus is not genetically similar to the SARS coronavirus and does not signal the start of a new SARS outbreak."

Also today, the World Health Organization (WHO) commented via Twitter that the kidney failure reported in both patients infected with the new virus is a "unique feature" of the infection.

In addition, late today the WHO released an update and an interim case definition to help countries be on guard against the new virus. On the basis of the cases so far, the definition includes criteria for "a patient under investigation," a probable case, and a confirmed case, using clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory variables. The update said no new cases were identified today.

And in Hong Kong, the region's Hospital Authority said that a previously reported cluster of coronavirus-related respiratory illnesses in Castle Peak Hospital was caused by a known coronavirus. The cases occurred in a "female long-stay ward" and are due to human coronavirus NL63, a strain that usually causes mild respiratory illness such as the common cold, the agency said in a statement.

Whatever you ever wanted to know about food allergies and reactions

All About Food Allergies

All of us eat to survive, and most of us enjoy eating. However, recent studies have found that almost 1 in 20 young children under the age of 5 years and almost 1 in 25 adults are allergic to at least one food. Other studies indicate that food allergy, especially allergy to peanut, is on the rise. As a result, more and more people are becoming aware of food allergy, making it a subject of increasing public concern.
When one person in a family has a food allergy, the whole family is affected. There may be day-to-day anxiety that a loved one may accidentally eat a food that could lead to anaphylaxis,
a dangerous allergic reaction.

This will help you understand allergic reactions to foods and their possible causes, and it explains how a healthcare professional diagnoses and treats food allergy.

If you suspect you or a member of your family have a food allergy, consult your healthcare professional for medical advice.

What Is Food Allergy?

Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by the body’s immune system. There are several types of immune responses to food. This booklet focuses on one type of adverse reaction to food—that in which the body produces a specific type of antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE).
The binding of IgE to specific molecules present in a food triggers the immune response. The response may be mild or in rare cases it can be associated with the severe and life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.
Therefore, if you have a food allergy, it is extremely important for you to work with your healthcare professional to learn what foods cause your allergic reaction.
Sometimes, a reaction to food is not an allergy at all but another type of reaction called food intolerance.

What Is an Allergic Reaction to Food?

A food allergy occurs when the immune system responds to a harmless food as if it were a threat. The first time a person with food allergy is exposed to the food, no symptoms occur; but the first exposure primes the body to respond the next time. When the person eats the food again, an allergic response can occur.

WHAT IS A FIRST EXPOSURE TO FOOD?

Usually, the way you are first exposed to a food is when you eat it. But sometimes a first exposure or subsequent exposure can occur without your knowledge.
This may be true in the case of peanut allergy. A person who experiences anaphylaxis on the first known exposure to peanut may have previously
• Touched peanuts
• Used a peanut-containing skin care product
• Breathed in peanut dust in the home or when close to other people eating peanuts

The Allergic Reaction Process
An allergic reaction to food is a two-step process.

Step 1:

The first time you are exposed to a food allergen, your immune system reacts as if the food were harmful and makes specific IgE antibodies to that allergen. The antibodies circulate through your blood and attach to mast cells and basophils. Mast cells are found in all body tissues, especially in areas of your body that are typical sites of allergic reactions. Those sites include your nose, throat, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Basophils are found in your blood and also in tissues that have become inflamed due to an allergic reaction.

Step 2:

The next time you are exposed to the same food allergen, it binds to the IgE antibodies that are attached to the mast cells and basophils. The binding signals the cells to release massive amounts of chemicals such as histamine. Depending on the tissue in which they are released, these chemicals will cause you to have various symptoms of food allergy. The symptoms can range from mild to severe. A severe allergic reaction can include a potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.
Generally, you are at greater risk for developing a food allergy if you come from a family in which allergies are common. These allergies are not necessarily food allergies but perhaps other allergic diseases, such as asthma or eczema (atopic dermatitis). If you have two parents who have allergies, you are more likely to develop food allergy than someone with one parent who has allergies.
An allergic reaction to food usually takes place within a few minutes to several hours after exposure to the allergen. The process of eating and digesting food and the location of mast cells both affect the timing and location of the reaction.
Symptoms of Food Allergy
If you are allergic to a particular food, you may experience all or some of the following symptoms:
• Itching in your mouth
• Swelling of lips and tongue
• GI symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps and pain
• Hives
• Worsening of eczema
• Tightening of the throat or trouble breathing
• Drop in blood pressure

EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a newly recognized chronic disease that can be associated with food allergies. It is increasingly being diagnosed in children and adults.
Symptoms of EoE include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain after eating. A person may also have symptoms that resemble acid reflux from the stomach. In older children and adults, it can cause more severe symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing solid food or solid food sticking in the esophagus for more than a few minutes. In infants, this disease may be associated with failure to thrive.
If you are diagnosed with EoE, you will probably be tested for allergies. In some situations, avoiding certain food allergens will be an effective treatment for EoE.

CROSS-REACTIVE FOOD ALLERGIES

If you have a life-threatening reaction to a certain food, your healthcare professional will show you how to avoid similar foods that may trigger this reaction. For example, if you have a history of allergy to shrimp, allergy testing will usually show that you are also allergic to other shellfish, such as crab, lobster, and crayfish. This is called cross-reactivity.




(Courtesy: US Government health department)

The difference between a cold and the flu

How to differentiate between a cold and an allergy?

Do plants and trees need friends? Yes, say scientists. Lonely plants need friends

ScienceShot: Lonely Plant Enlists Ants

by Helen Fields 

Courtesy: Science

Credit: J. M. Olesen

On two vertical cliffs in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, 1000 or so puny, yamlike plants cling to life—and despite the plant's precarious cliffside existence, it somehow manages to reproduce.

The plants, described by an alpine gardening Web site as "essentially modest foliage plants and mainly for the connoisseur," are all that's left of the species Borderea chouardii, a holdover from an otherwise vanished tropical ecosystem. Scientists suspected insect visitors carried pollen between the separate male and female plants, so with help from scaffolding and climbing gear, they spent 76 hours monitoring the plants in 2008 and 2009. Mostly, they saw ants.

They ruled out wind pollination by setting out slides, then checking the pollen that collected on them. Then, through a series of experiments where they offered seeds to ants, they worked out that different species of ants were sharing the labor: Two species of ants pollinate the flowers and a third disperses the seeds, the team reports online in PLoS ONE.

However, the scientists note, relying on another species is risky, so how do the plants get away with putting all of their reproductive eggs in a few ant-carried baskets? One possibility is that the plants don't have to put out a lot of seed because they live so long—more than 300 years. And it probably helps that big herbivores can't reach them on their clifftop dwellings.