The problem is that you need to have a lot of dedicated people on hand to be able to understand, digest and analyse all the text coming out of the CBD meeting in Curitiba. That is one thing that most developing countries don't have. At the convention you see rich countries with huge delegations, while developing countries have only one or two people representing them. That is one of the reasons developed countries can get away with stealing the resources of the world and leaving empty seas and land behind them, while small and poor countries are unable to stop them.

Let's take the Arab countries for example. As the Greenpeace campaigner for the Arab World, I am responsible for lobbying these countries to encourage them to take positive steps for the planet's biodiversity. Most Arab countries have not had the chance to read, understand and take a position on all the issues being discussed in the meeting in Curitiba. Many destructive operations, such as high seas bottom trawling, are unknown to most of these countries. They don't fully understand why the fish in their coastal water are slowly diminishing, or that the livelihood of their people is being robbed in front of their eyes. They don't know that one big industrial fishing vessel can fish as much as 100,000 local fishermen. They don't know that the area hit by the high seas bottom trawl fleet amounts to 5.5 million square kilometres each year. That is 148 football pitches per minute, or 10 football pitches for every breath you take.

I think one of the most important roles Greenpeace is playing in Curitiba is raising awareness among the many delegates from developing countries to the crisis that is happening in the world, and what they have to do at this meeting to stop it. The team here is spending all night trying to analyse almost every document coming out of the meeting, while during the day we talk to as many delegates as possible about the steps they need to take to protect biodiversity.

This doesn't mean that developing countries do not need to take responsibility for what is happening. It is not acceptable for governments, who are responsible of the future of their people, not to take action against what is threatening their future. No matter how rich or poor a country is, urgent action is needed now, by all countries. At the rate by which bottom trawling is destroying the sea, it would take only 16 years for the fishing fleet to trawl the entire area of vulnerable sea bottom once.

No more excuses. There is no room for endless discussion - this is the time for action. Developing countries, with whatever resources they have, need to stand up and take action for the future of their kids.

- Wael Hmaidan
Arab World Campaigner