In recent years, markets and payments for ecosystem services (PES), such as carbon sequestration, watershed protection and biodiversity conservation, have emerged in several African nations as a viable method for maintaining ecosystems and rewarding responsible environmental management. These mechanisms are generally appearing on an ad hoc basis, however, and little strategic dialogue has occurred to harmonize efforts to achieve broader economic and environmental objectives. In response, Forest Trends and the Katoomba Group are organizing the workshop, "Building Foundations for Pro-Poor Ecosystem Services in Africa," 19-22 September, 2005 in Uganda.
The objectives of this workshop are to strengthen the capacity for individuals to create PES mechanisms, to assess the current state of PES in Africa, to share information about past PES schemes in other regions of the world and to plan the systematic establishment of pro-poor PES schemes in East and Southern Africa. A diverse group of leaders from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and South Africa are involved with private business, policy making, community leadership, NGOs and academia are scheduled to attend, ensuring the integral players needed to establish PES (buyers, sellers, intermediaries, etc) will be represented.
This will be the first in a series (every 2 years) of Regional Conferences initiated by Tanta University's Department of Water Engineering on remediation and restoration of water resources ecosystems. The conference is intended to bring together scholars, scientists, experts and researchers who contribute to policymaking and management decisions throughout the world to discuss and develop an approach to minimizing deterioration of the worlds' water resources
The United Nations has proclaimed May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Biodiversity is the source of the essential goods and ecological services that constitute the source of life for all. The celebration each year of the International Day for Biological Diversity is an occasion to reflect on our responsibility to safeguard this precious heritage for future generations.
The objective of this conference is to address issues and present new approaches that focus on the demand side of water and economic incentives, rather than the traditional focus on the supply side. The main activity of this Conference will be to review on-going experiences in different countries where demand-side instruments and water management institutions exist. Conference themes will include: water markets experiences in developed and developing countries, economic evaluation of water transfer between countries, economic impacts of water transfer from agricultural to urban uses, water rights and management of ground water and sea water intrusion, environmental and economic consequences of oil-production wastewater to aquifers, and sea water desalination.
