Standards Development

Scope

Scope statement of the proposed new committee (The scope shall precisely define the limits of the field of activity. Scopes shall not repeat general aims and principles governing the work of the organization but shall indicate the specific area concerned).

Standardization in the field of Biodiversity to develop requirements, principles, framework, guidance and supporting tools in a holistic and global approach for all relevant organizations, to enhance their contribution to Sustainable Development.

Excluded: standardization of test and measurement methods for ecological quality of water, air, soil and marine environment.

Purpose

Purpose and justification for the proposal. (The purpose and justification for the creation of a new technical committee shall be made clear and the need for standardization in this fieldshall be justified. Clause C.4.13.3 of Annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 contains a menu of suggestions or ideas for possible documentation to support and purpose and justification of proposals. Proposers should consider these suggestions, but they are not limited to them, nor are they required to comply strictly with them. What is most important is that proposers develop and provide purpose and justification information that is most relevant to their proposals and that makes a substantial business case for the market relevance and the need for their proposals. Thorough, well-developed and robust purpose and justification documentation will lead to more informed consideration of proposals and ultimately their possible success in the ISO IEC system.)

According to Article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB), biodiversity ("Biological diversity") is:

… “ the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems”.

The stakeholders are more and more aware of and committed to the preservation, recovery and sustainable use of biodiversity. Indeed, there are numerous initiatives and upcoming important events like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUNC) congress in June 2020 and the COP 15 in October 2020.

The preservation of biodiversity has become an ethical, economic and global issue. It is now a growing political stake, which is emphasized by an international acknowledgment of the widespread loss of biodiversity and need to accelerate the search of solutions for biodiversity preservation, recovery and sustainable use.

Our economies are strongly dependent on biodiversity, while adversely impacting it. Thus, the links between the economy and ecosystems ought to be explored and taken into account. Preservation, recovery and sustainable use of biodiversity also represent an economic opportunity, driving new economic sectors of activity.

Thus, the proposers believe that there is a need to develop standardized and co-constructed tools and methodologies in order to support actions and progress by sharing definitions and good practices.

The proposers are conscious that some biodiversity issues may already be mentioned in a few standards. However, no dedicated international standardization work is being carried out as yet. Existing national standards that are directly related to the SDGs, including planning, development and risk management will be considered. The proposed deliverables will support all stakeholders to develop a clear, global and consistent understanding of biodiversity.