BioArea Supply

Registered or certified BioAreas could be supplied by any community, authority, organisation or individual who is legally competent to be the manager for a geographically-defined area.

The manager needs to have  both the rights and the capacities to deliver a BioArea management Plan as set out in the BioAreas Standard. This implies a clear right to manage the area under consideration, but – importantly – it need not imply actual ownership of the area.

For example, an indigenous community organisation could offer to manage an area for which they have recognised traditional rights, but for which they may not have a registered title deed. On a case-by-case basis, clarity on who has the effective right to manage a particular area would need to be determined. Importantly, recognition of rights and responsibilities with respect to management, access, use, and ownership of a particular area would also need to comply with relevant articles and decisions of the CBD, notably those relating to Article 8(j) on traditional knowledge and practices.

Potential Suppliers

Potential BioArea suppliers can come from the public, non-profit and private sectors and include the following:

Public Sector Suppliers

• Local authorities
• Natural-resource authorities – forests, lakes, coastal areas, etc.
• Central governments and Intergovernmental organisations (probably in partnership with others)

Non-profit suppliers

• Community-based organisations
• Non-governmental organisations
• Private foundations
• Academic/research institutions
• Faith-based organisations

Private sector suppliers

• Local and indigenous communities
• Cooperatives
• Individual land owners
• Land trusts
• Green developers
• Property-management companies
• Corporate land owners

Local governments may wish to attract residents and businesses to their towns and counties by seeking BioArea registration or certification for areas under their responsibility, so as to make clear their commitment to conservation and responsible use. Protected-area authorities may want to have their management plans registered or certified and, in so doing, secure additional support through marketing their BioHectares.

Intergovernmental organisations, such as the UN Development Programme, may partner with local community organisations to develop certifiable BioAreas areas that have clear development outcomes. International environmental NGOs may want to collaborate with local stakeholders to offer registered BioAreas for high conservation-value areas, biodiversity hotspots or habitats for critically endangered species. Finally, businesses may wish to have an independent verification that areas under their responsibility and within their supply chains are registered or certified BioAreas and thus compliant with the CBD.