In 1992, governments, indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to talk about the environment. The Rio Earth Summit was the largest international environmental meeting ever. At the meeting, world leaders agreed that it was important to protect the environment for all people, including future generations (That’s you). The leaders decided to create three conventions to achieve this goal.

A convention is an agreement or contract. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an agreement between countries based on natural and biological resources. The CBD has three main goals: to protect biodiversity; to use biodiversity without destroying it; and, to share any benefits from genetic diversity equally.