China News Service, Kunming, October 10 (Han Shuainan Huang Xinyuan) Reporter learned from the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Yunnan Academy of Forestry") on the 10th that recently, a biodiversity protection project jointly carried out by the Academy, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and an ethnic skin care company has made new progress: the "GB/Z283-2026 Enterprise Biodiversity Information Disclosure Guidelines" national standardization guidance technical document developed by the three parties in conjunction with the China Institute of Standardization was officially released.
In 2021, UNDP, the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and enterprises collaborated deeply, and based on the UNDP global project management framework with a global perspective, proposed for the first time: using the technical integration capabilities of scientific research institutions as the engine, the multilateral governance framework of international institutions as the platform, and the market dynamics of private enterprises as the traction, the three parties jointly explore the implementation path of the "Nagoya Protocol" genetic resources acquisition and benefit sharing (ABS) principles at the community level, and transform international texts into quantifiable income-increasing practices for communities.
UNDP actively coordinates international standard resources. The Yunnan Academy of Forestry, together with the China Institute of Standardization, enterprises and industry experts, systematically carried out the research on the biodiversity protection standard system and the development of raw material origin standards for the cosmetics industry in China for the first time. On December 9, 2022, the project team officially released the world's first scientific research-based cosmetics industry standard. The group standard "Guidelines for the Protection of Biodiversity in the Origin of Raw Materials for Cosmetic Enterprises" (T/CSTE0264-2022, both Chinese and English versions) jointly developed by institutions, United Nations agencies and enterprises provides the first systematic technical guidance for Chinese cosmetics enterprises to carry out biodiversity protection and ABS.
On the basis of filling the gaps in China, the project continues to promote the upgrading of results and international expansion. It submitted an international standard project application for the "Guidelines for the Protection of Biodiversity for Cosmetics Enterprises" to the ISO/TC331 domestic technical counterpart unit, and has passed the demonstration of the counterpart expert group, marking a substantial step forward in the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity involving Chinese enterprises. At the same time, the national standardization guidance technical document "Guidelines for Acquisition and Benefit Sharing of Biological Genetic Resources for Enterprises" has entered the stage of soliciting opinions.
The formulation of the above standards provides operational technical guidance at the enterprise level for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol.
As the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity approaches, this news sends a clear signal: China is moving biodiversity protection from compliance commitments and local practices to the level of shaping international standards and global industry rules.
In addition, project information shows that the Yunnan Academy of Forestry has leveraged its advantages in germplasm resource protection, breeding, industrial application research and cross-regional coordination. The Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden have leveraged their advantages in basic research. Yunnan Normal University has provided educational resources and collaborated with enterprises to build a demonstration framework for biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization in Yunnan, forming a win-win "Yunnan paradigm" for protection and development.
Through the multi-party cooperation model of "United Nations agencies + government guidance + scientific research institutes + local communities + enterprise participation", the project carries out the mainstreaming of international standards for corporate biodiversity protection and the development of key standards. Focusing on typical ethnic villages in Yunnan Province as demonstration sites, the project establishes the genetics of alpine plants such as green thorn, flea grass, and dendrobium. In-situ resource protection, sustainable utilization and ABS community demonstration, explore the ABS model for enterprises to participate in biodiversity conservation, genetic resources and related traditional knowledge, promote the mainstreaming of participatory biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in China, strengthen gender equality awareness, improve women's participation ability and improve the level of gender mainstreaming.
The United Nations Development Program, Yunnan Academy of Forestry and enterprises expressed their willingness to share replicable and scalable systems and experiences with global partners, expand the active practice of private sector participation in biodiversity governance, and continue to provide Chinese wisdom and Yunnan solutions to jointly build a community of life on earth and promote the full realization of the goals of the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework".
