The eighth ordinary meeting of the conference of the parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is scheduled to take place 20-31 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, is a multi-national agreement to protect biodiversity and promote sustainable development. Mandates set forth in this agreement include preserving species and their genetic diversity, maintaining healthly and varied ecosystems, and promoting the sustainable use of environmental resources. While the international treaty identifies commonalities among the degradation of biological systems worldwide, individual governments are charged with developing and executing national strategies for protecting biological systems and reporting back to the international convention.

Members of the conference of the parties, the CBD's governing body, will meet next month to discuss a host of biological diversity issues, identifying current progress, as well as making necessary improvements and pushing for further implementation of CBD guidelines.