NAGOYA — As thunder rumbled in the distance and a typhoon neared Nagoya, delegates to COP10 raced Friday to conclude new agreements on preserving biodiversity over the next decade and on access to genetic resources and how to distribute the money they make.
After a long Thursday night and early Friday morning marked by acrimonious debate over the access and benefit-sharing agreement in particular, the remaining disagreements were near resolution as the final plenary session gathered, and would, delegates hoped, be formally approved with only a few changes. COP10 was to end Friday evening, but the talks ran into the night.
Two documents, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, and a strategic plan for the post-2010 period, which includes specific targets for the conservation of biodiversity, were made available Friday.