Local authorities to stem the loss of biodiversity
Under the heading "Towards a green future - actions for biodiversity at the local level", the Nordic Council of Ministers put the spotlight on the importance of local involvement to stem the loss of biodiversity at a fringe event held at the UN's Conference on Biological Diversity, COP10 in Nagoya in Japan.
Recently the Nordic Council of Ministers organised a highly praised fringe event in Japan that highlighted the importance of local involvement to stem the loss of biodiversity.
The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. Over the years, biodiversity has been an important focus area for the environmental work that takes place in the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The UN's large biodiversity conference will take place over two weeks in Nagoya, Japan. The Nordic Council of Ministers will be present in Japan with a stand to showcase the good example of the Nordic countries. Recently the Nordic Council of Ministers organised a highly praised fringe event that highlighted the importance of local involvement to stem the loss of biodiversity. There is focus on implementing the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at the local level as a key to the success of the Convention.
Bill Jackson, Deputy Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presented concrete proposals on what it takes to create a successful project in a municipality or in a network of municipalities. According to Jackson, political support, expertise, teaching in local natural history and co-operation between national and local players were among the main factors.
Terje Klokk, Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management, presented the project "Local involvement to stem the loss of biodiversity." This is a project funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers in which Nordic municipalities have pledged to carry out projects that are relevant to meeting the 2010 target. Klokk showed a film presentation of the project which attracted a lot of interest with the international participants. The film can be ordered from Terje Klokk at Terje.Klokk@DIRNAT.NO.
The fringe event was co-organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Stig Johansson from the Working Group on Terrestrial Ecosystems (WCPA), Nordic Council of Ministers, was moderator for the debate.
Read more about all the Nordic events at the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) in Nagoya Japan.
Contact:
Jannica Pitkänen-Brunnsberg
Co-ordinator, Nordic Terrestrial Ecosystem Group
jannica.pitkanen-brunnsberg@metsa.fi,
+358 40 1968 632
