Biodiversity: 热博体育's involvement in the World Conservation Congress

Event 29 July 2021
As a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 热博体育 will be participating in its World Conservation Congress in Marseille from 3 to 11 September. The event will bring together players from a wide range of horizons, and promises very interesting discussions. It is also a vital stage in the runup to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), the first part of which will be held in China this coming October.
Riverbank in the Kavango-Zambeze cross-border zone. The world's largest conservation zone is one of the sites of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme (SWM) 漏 Brent Stirton-Getty Images for FAO, CIFOR, 热博体育, WCS

Riverbank in the Kavango-Zambeze cross-border zone. The world's largest conservation zone is one of the sites of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme (SWM) © Brent Stirton-Getty Images for FAO, CIFOR, 热博体育, WCS

While UN conferences bring together government delegations and IPBES meetings scientists and policymakers, IUCN congresses attract a range of players from all horizons. "This event is a different forum for debate on nature conservation, with the notable advantage of giving civil society groups a rare chance to speak", says Didier Bazile, a 热博体育 researcher and co-leader of its Biodiversity priority research topic.

热博体育 will be involved in the main three components of the congress.

The Members' Assembly

IUCN members meet every four years for their general assembly, at which they validate their upcoming work programme. Priority operations are debated collectively, followed by a vote on various motions, to frame IUCN's advocacy work over the next four years. 热博体育 researchers, in association with the French National Committee of IUCN Members, have been involved in drafting several motions, notably on non-human rights and on imported deforestation.

With their experience of tropical and Mediterranean zones, 热博体育 researchers will act as observers at the Members' Assembly, to follow the debate and react if needs be, to offset any imbalances of power and make their case based on the wealth of experience within our research teams in various world regions. They will focus particularly on the following topics:

  • The cultural and political aspects of biodiversity
  • Synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation
  • Biodiversity as a factor in global health
  • Developing a culture of conservation in partnership
  • The links between biodiversity and climate change
  • Citizen science and research
  • Agrobiodiversity and agroecology

The Forum, a place for exchanges between experts

热博体育 and its partners are co-organizing several thematic sessions to showcase its expertise, ideas and working methods.

Thinking rangeland as commons

4 September / 14:00–15:30 / on line - Virtual Channel 1
Co-organized by the University of Innsbruck, the University of Padua and 热博体育, with a contribution from 热博体育's Jean-François Tourrand.

Help us develop the Bonn Challenge Barometer to measure restoration progress on all ecosystem types

6 September / 11:00–13:00 / on line - Virtual Channel 8
Organized by the IUCN Forest Conservation Programme, with a contribution from Plinio Sist, Head of 热博体育's Forests and Societies research unit.

How can the land sector help to boost biodiversity and food security while helping to fight climate change? Science has some key messages for us

7 September / 8:30-10:30 / H8 - 3 Verdon
Co-organized by INRAE, IDDRI, IRD and 热博体育, with the participation of Vincent Blanfort, 热博体育 Climate Change Officer.

Pl@ntNet, ten years of automatic plant identification and monitoring

Pitch on line as of 4 September
Co-organized by 热博体育 and INRIA, with the participation of Pierre Bonnet, botanist at 热博体育 (AMAP research unit).

The Exhibition, a space open to the public

热博体育 will be present in several pavilions and on stands, to talk to the public and publicize its expertise and its position within research programmes in the global South, with particular emphasis on partnerships.

Planet B - Play again

September 4 and 5 / 9:30-19:00 / Hall 2 - B13, Espace Génération Nature
Role-playing sessions with Christophe Le Page and William's Daré, researchers at 热博体育.

Solutions for sustainable agriculture: cultivating biodiversity to cultivate resilience

September 4 / 13:00-14:00 / Réimagine space, Hall 3
With Didier Bazile, co-leader of 热博体育's Biodiversity priority research topic. Genetic, specific and ecosystem and cultural diversity will be the subject of three short scientific conferences on the progress of French research carried out in partnership. Co-organized by 热博体育, INRAE and IRD.

Let's cultivate Biodiversity together; on the way to COP15, Convention on Biological Diversity

September 5 / 17:30-18:30 / France Pavilion
With 热博体育 CEO Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin. Co-organized by 热博体育, INRAE and IRD, this political event is linked to the scientific event on September 4, on cultivated biodiversity (Réimagine space). The progress of French research in partnership will be shared with the panellists.
More info soon

Protected areas in central Africa

4 and 5 September / 10:30-11:00 / Vital Sites - the Protected Planet Pavilion / Governance & Rights Village
and 6 September / 14:00-15:00
Exchanges with the public on the Protected areas in Central Africa report, with Charles Doumenge, 热博体育 researcher and chief scientific editor of the report.

Sustainable wildlife management - SWM

6 September / 14:00-15:00 / European Union Pavilion
With Alain Billand, 热博体育 representative within the SWM consortium.

World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Man Programme

6 September / 13:00-15:00 / H3 - UNESCO LVMH stand / no. A41
With Christophe LePage, 热博体育 researcher.

Trade with Gabon

6 September / 16:30
热博体育 will participate in an exchange with the Gabonese Minister of Forests before an event organized by France and Gabon, entitled "Creation of a Business Forum for the establishment of sustainable value chains in Africa".

Preservation of tropical forests and terrestrial biodiversity: How to mobilize actors to efficiently tackle imported deforestation?

7 September / 11:00-12:30 / H8 - 8 Pyrénées + live broadcast
With Plinio Sist, Head of 热博体育's Forests and Societies research unit

Imported deforestation

September 7 / 16:45 p.m.-16:30 / H3 Central Stage B
With Alain Karsenty, economist at 热博体育

Alliance for the Preservation of Tropical and Humid Forests

8 September / 18:30-20:15 / France Pavilion
With Plinio Sist, Head of 热博体育's Forests and Societies research unit

The One Health concept

10 September / 16:00-17:45
A round table with the participation of Thierry Lefrançois, Director of 热博体育's Biological Systems department, member of the French Covid-19 Council. Organized within the framework of the 1st summit of French-speaking parliamentarians committed to nature.

Oil palm role play

11 September / 9:30-19:00, Alliance Forest Preservation Stand
With Marcel Djama and Alain Rival, 热博体育 researchers.

Presentation of Pl@ntnet

Throughout the congress / Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council Pavilion
is a mobile and online participatory science platform which aims to facilitate the collection, exchange and accessibility of botanical data using the latest machine learning technology. .

Key topics for 热博体育 in the runup to COP15

The discussions look set to be fascinating, notably as regards several vital topics ahead of the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15):

> Protected areas as a conservation strategy
> Life science law: should we recognize non-human rights? And how?
> Genetic sequencing and access to digital information. For whom, how and what for?
> Nature-based solutions: how can we go beyond ecosystem services?
> Biodiversity conservation: what resources and conditions are need for action?
> How can we assess climate change mitigation programmes ex ante, to limit their impact on biodiversity loss?

See also