Best policy guidance for the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in standards October 2012

1. The attached document on policy guidance for the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in standards has been prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). The paper responds to paragraph 3 (b) of decision X/21 of the Conference of the Parties, which calls upon the Secretariat to “...analyse the effectiveness of ...tools in relevant economic sectors, and to make this ...available to national focal points and all relevant stakeholders, through the clearing-house mechanism of the Convention and through other means”, as well as paragraph 3 (c) of decision X/21, which calls upon the Secretariat “To encourage the development and application of tools and mechanisms that can further facilitate the engagement of businesses in integrating biodiversity concerns into their work...”. This analysis of standards also builds upon the work presented in CBD Technical Series No. 63, “Review of the Biodiversity Requirements of Standards and Certification Schemes”, available from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.