I have been in Nagoya attending the U.N. biodiversity confrence, COP10, for nearly a week now (two if you count the pre-COP10 meeting on biosafety, MOP 5), and I think it's safe to say I haven't heard mention of an actual animal or plant yet.

Socio-economic production landscapes, extinction rates, access and benefit protocols, and strategic plans — yes. But bees, elephants or whales? No.

To be fair, the Convention on Biological Diversity (which is what the 7,000 participants currently at this two-week conference are here to talk about) isn't about protecting specific species. That's dealt with in other international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.