Expedite implementation of biodiversity plan: Javadekar

India's Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar Monday urged the parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) to expedite the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, a statement said.

In a video message, Javadekar, president of the 11th Conference of Parties (CoP-11) to the CBD, highlighted key issues of biodiversity conservation that were discussed at the CBD's fifth meeting of the Working Group on review of implementation (WGRI-5) held in Montreal (Canada) June 16-20.

Javdekar also urged the parties to decide on final targets for resource mobilisation for implementation of the Strategic Plan, and also highlighted the importance of addressing poverty reduction as a cross-cutting issue of the strategic plan, the statement said.

"He expressed confidence that these initiatives would help to harness long-term benefits by investing in biodiversity conservation," it added.

At the WGRI-5 meeting, India was represented by Hem Pande, additional secretary in the ministry and India's pointman for the CBD.