Welcome to the Clearing-House Mechanism website, Karibu Sana

Biological diversity or “biodiversity” defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as: “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”.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth. This variety provides the building blocks to adaption of changing environmental conditions in the future. The value of biodiversity as a key component of the environment was recognized during the build up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio in 1992. During this occasion, Tanzania endorsed and signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) of the Convention on Biological Diversity has been established further to Article 18.3 of the Convention.

Further to decision X/15, its mission is to contribute significantly to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, through effective information services and other appropriate means in order to promote and facilitate scientific and technical cooperation, knowledge sharing and information exchange, and to establish a fully operational network of Parties and partners.

This mission is articulated around three major goals:

1. The central clearing-house mechanism provides effective global information services to facilitate the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
2. National clearing-house mechanisms provide effective information services to facilitate the implementation of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
3. Partners significantly expand the clearing-house mechanism network and services.