Special attention was given to the subject of biological diversity in the year 2008: from 19 through to 30 May 2008, Germany was hosting the 9th Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Bonn. During this time, and under German chairmanship, the convention’s highest political committee which convenes every two years – the Conference of the Parties – debated measures for the protection of biodiversity. This not only included the conservation of biological diversity but also its sustainable use and the fair distribution of costs and benefits. Priority subjects included: forest protection, the establishment and funding of protected areas, conservation of plant and animal genetic diversity in agriculture, the development of a body of rules for the equitable distribution of advantages and the objective of substantially reducing the loss of biodiversity worldwide by 2010. Around 5,000 participants from some 190 contracting parties to the convention were expected to be in attendance. Also in May 2008, namely from 12 through to 16, Bonn was the scene of the 4th Conference on Biosafety pursuant to the Cartagena Protocol (MOP 4). The focus here lay on issues of liability relating to the release of genetically-modified organisms.