Nature, green economy and sustainable development: The outcomes of UN Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development

Abstract

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD / Rio+20) took place 20 – 22 June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference was the third global high-level event on sustainable development, marking the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. The objective of the Rio+20 conference was to secure renewed global political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and identify remaining gaps in the implementation of existing commitments (e.g. Millennium Development Goals – MDGs – agreed in 2000) (UNCSD 2012a). In addition, the conference also aimed to address new and emerging global challenges for sustainable development. In this context, the conference focused on two themes: the role of a green economy Nature Conservation 2:1–6 (2012) doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.2.3704 http://www.pensoft.net/natureconservation