AlQa'dah 22, 1433, Oct 8, 2012, SPA - An international conference on biodiversity began in India's southern city of Hyderabad Monday to discuss ways to curb the extinction of species and threats to the environment, DPA reported. More than 2,000 delegates from 150 countries, including environment and forest ministers, were attending the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Member nations were to hold talks on a largely unrealized plan and targets from the previous conference two years ago in Nagoya, Japan, which aimed to reduce the rate of loss of the planet's natural habitats, including forests. The Hyderabad meetings were to also discuss funding for those goals. The 12-day meeting is to also focus on ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and sharing of benefits, which has been adopted by seven countries. Fifty ratifications are required for it to come into force.
