thumb|right|The 17 countries identified as megadiverse by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring CentreThe
megadiverse countries are a group of countries that harbor the majority of the Earth's species and are therefore considered extremely
biodiverse. The
World Conservation Monitoring Centre, an agency of the
United Nations Environment Programme, has identified 17 megadiverse countries,
most located in the tropics.
Brazil,
Indonesia,
South Africa,
Ecuador, and
Colombia are the highest of these.
In 2002, a separate organization, Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries, was formed in
Mexico, consisting of countries rich in biological diversity and associated traditional knowledge.
This organization does not include all the megadiverse countries as identified by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Megadiverse countries
In alphabetical order, the 17 countries
are:
Cancún initiative and declaration of like-minded megadiverse countries
On 18 February 2002, the Ministers in charge of the Environment and the Delegates of
Brazil,
China,
Colombia,
Costa Rica,
India,
Indonesia,
Kenya,
Mexico,
Peru,
South Africa and
Venezuela assembled in the Mexican city of
Cancún. These countries declared to set up a
Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries as a mechanism for consultation and cooperation so that their interests and priorities related to the preservation and sustainable use of biological diversity could be promoted. They also declared that they would call on those countries that had not become Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity, the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the
Kyoto Protocol on climate change to become parties to these agreements.
At the same time, they agreed to meet periodically, at the ministerial and expert levels, and decided that upon the conclusion of each annual Ministerial Meeting, the next rotating host country would take on the role of Secretary of the group, to ensure its continuity, the further development of cooperation among these countries and to reach the agreements and objectives set forth herein.
The current member countries of the Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries organization are as follows, in alphabetical order:
