Status Issues

This contributed book is based on the current status of biodiversity in India, issues and challenges faced by the authorities involved in conservation efforts, and the imperative role of various direct and indirect stakeholders in biodiversity conservation. The book discusses the current status of different forms of biodiversity in India, challenges faced by stakeholders, issues and reasons for biodiversity losses, and efforts by government through various laws, policies, and programs in a concise and comprehensive manner throughout its many chapters. In this way, readers can access diverse information on Indian biodiversity through this book. It is compiled by leading experts in the field of conservation. In 18 chapters, it covers biodiversity of both fauna and flora, on land and in aquatic ecosystems, legal and policy aspects, as well as innovative conservation tool and techniques. It is useful for undergraduates and graduate students and also educates policy planners, bureaucrats, foresters, and researchers in India and abroad.

In the late l9th and early 20th century, labor issues fanned the flames of anti-Asian sentiment, as they continue to do to this day. These essays explore the topics of immigration and work, ethnic economics and enclaves, the role of middlemen minorities, Southeast Asian refugee employment, and issues of class, hierarchy, immigrant recruitment, intra-community exploitation, and poverty in Asian American communities.

This is a high-level report on progress in addressing recurring issues identified by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). The Board endorsed the proposal in the Chairman’s Summing Up for the Independent Evaluation Office Report on Recurring Issues from a Decade of Evaluation – Lessons for the IMF (BUFF/14/58, 6/11/14) that staff prepare a separate high-level report on the status of initiatives that address the recurring issues identified by the IEO, noting that the first staff report could be prepared within two years, followed by similar reports every five years thereafter. The September 2015 Management Implementation Plan set out the actions management would take to follow-up on the Board-endorsed recommendation. The IEO’s 2014 evaluation of Recurring Issues from a Decade of Evaluation: Lessons for the IMF identified five recurring issues: a) Executive Board guidance and oversight; b) Organizational silos; c) Attention to risks and uncertainty; d) Country and institutional context; and e) Evenhandedness. This high-level report provides a broad account of actions taken to address these recurring issues since the publication of the 2014 IEO report; it is not intended as an exhaustive account of initiatives undertaken. Takeaways. The report concludes that the Fund has made progress in addressing the recurring issues identified by the IEO, and acknowledges the need for taking actions on an ongoing basis to achieve the related objectives. The discussion of the Management Implementation Plan (MIP) left open the question of whether subsequent reports should be prepared, perhaps every five years. The Evaluation Committee concluded that the forthcoming external evaluation of the IEO could look at the monitoring mechanisms more holistically, to provide further input into considering whether or not to continue the preparation every five years of this high-level report.

Both developed and developing nations attended the Law of the Sea Conference and, in general, subscribe to the principle that the oceans beyond national jurisdiction are the common heritage of mankind. However, the interpretation each group has of this principle differs. The objective of the United States delegation is to achieve a comprehensive treaty that protects essential United States' interests. The following principle issues were discussed at the 1977 and 1978 conference sessions. The assurance of access to mineral resources of the deep seabed for private contractors or states parties under reasonable terms is central to the success of the treaty. An International Seabed Authority should be established under the treaty to administer the common heritage concept in the best interest of mankind. The International Seabed Authority would have numerous sources of funds, such as various types of payments made by contractors or others exploring the seabed mineral resources, voluntary contributions, excess revenues generated by operations of the Enterprise and loans from commercial sources. The obligations of private and/or state contractors to the Authority can be characterized as monetary payments, technology transfers, and production restraint. The treaty text currently proposes four methods of dispute settlement: the International Court of Justice, the Law of the Sea Tribunal and its Seabed Disputes Chamber, arbitration procedures, and a special arbitral tribunal made up of experts. Opinions differ as to what the boundaries of the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 miles should be. The marine scientific research text provides for coastal state consent for marine scientific research in the economic zone. The major marine environmental concern is accommodation of navigational and environmental interests.