“Save the Future – Preserve Diversity: Biological Diversity as the Foundation for Development“ – that is the title and the topic of a conference, to be held in Berlin on the 15th of September 2010.
The event is convened by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Forum on Environment and Development (www.forum-ue.de). It will be concluded by the Federal Minister, Dirk Niebel.
There will be three theme-lounges during the event where the economical aspects of biodiversity, access and benefit sharing and climate protection will be discussed. On behalf of the Federal Ministry, we would like to invite you to be a commentator in the first themelounge.
This session will mainly deal with the question: “How much is biodiversity worth to us?” and will present two examples from Vietnam and Ecuador. After the presentation, representatives from the political, civil and private sectors will draw on their own experiences and perspectives to address these examples.
The aim of the conference is to mobilise support for the biodiversity cause. Additionally, it should serve to improve political and public appreciation of development policy concerns regarding biodiversity, which are elemental in the fight against poverty. 200 to 250 decision makers and disseminators from the political, civil society and private sectors will be invited, as well as media representatives responsible for spreading the message to the public.
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Tropical deforestation accounts for 20 percent of heat-trapping gas emissions worldwide. In Brazil alone, 70 percent of greenhouse gases emissions come from deforestation in the Amazon region. Forest-based carbon sequestration and REDD are gaining international attention, with Brazil on the center stage, to reduce global emissions necessary to avoid dangerous climate change. More broadly, ecosystem service payments in carbon, water and biodiversity are also becoming a key solution to ensuring the continued provision of nature's services through forests, aquatic systems, biodiversity, and carbon and nutrient cycles.
Join us to hear about the latest developments in carbon, water and biodiversity markets and discuss how they are being created and utilized to help solve some of our most critical environmental challenges.
MEETING TOPICS:
* The latest initiatives to control deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
* Amazon governors' presentations on the Global Climate Summit
* Launching of Mato Grosso State Forum on Climate Change
* A discussion on REDD options for the Xingu Park
* The Brazilian Amazon Fund to control deforestation and the country's official position on REDD
* How water quality trading markets can contribute to the conservation in the Amazon
* The emergence of biodiversity markets and how they can be applied in Brazil
* How to bridge the gap between current challenges and future economic and environmental solutions
* Create an infrastructure fund for the planet that will invest in our vital natural services
Humankind impacts to the natural environment greatly influence our quality of life. New mechanisms such as ecosystem service markets are emerging as a pragmatic market-based option to manage growth and yet mitigate the environmental impacts of such growth in a cost-effective manner.
The first day will feature a series of speakers giving a broad, national level overview of ecosystem service market considerations and initiatives. The second day will feature a series of three panels: Carbon, Water Quality (nutrient trading), and Mitigation Banking. An interactive question and answer session will follow the panel presentations.
Industry, government, non-governmental organizations, academia, and landowners will all benefit from the information presented. Attending this conference will ensure a better understanding of how ecosystem service markets function and what opportunities exist for landowners.
The purpose of ACES 2008 is to provide a needed forum for sharing information on state-of-the-art methods, tools, and processes related to ecosystem services and their effective use in decisions. The interdisciplinary nature of ACES 2008 will facilitate interactive discussions and networking to create and build partnerships while sharing lessons learned from the field.
This training will provide consultants intimate knowledge of WRI's Corporate Ecosystem Services Review. It is a structured methodology that helps managers develop strategies to manage their risks and opportunities arising from their company's dependence and impacts on ecosystems.
Participants may attend the training in person or participate in the training through video conferencing.
AGENDA
The training will include:
• Deep examination of the ESR methodology
• Examples of ESR applications in different:
o Sectors (agriculture, forestry, mining, manufacturing, etc.)
o Countries (U.S. Germany, South Africa, China, India, Hungary, among others)
o Parts of the value chain (suppliers and customers)
• Integrating the ESR with aspects of environmental management systems and tools such as:
o Environmental impact assessments
o New product development
o Life cycle assessment
o Corporate sustainability benchmarking
o Certification standards/best practices
• The ESR and ecosystem services valuation
• Panel discussion with WRI experts on ecosystem service markets including REDD and water quality
trading
• Other items
Fees
Event fees are on a sliding scale:
No. Employees Price**
1,000+ $1,500.00
50-1000 $750.00
<50 $350.00
Information & Registration
For more information and to register, please visit www.wri.org/ecosystems/esr
or contact Suzanne Ozment, [email protected], +1 202-729-7835.
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The national TMDL program continues to evolve as new policies, guidance, tools, and approaches are designed and implemented. Attendees to this one-day seminar will learn how recently issued policies and guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are being interpreted and implemented across the country, discuss examples of successful approaches to TMDL development, and share innovations that have led to improvements in TMDL implementation and effectiveness tracking. The seminar will provide attendees with in-depth information and examples on selected topics, including calculating daily loads and integrating them into TMDLs, innovative implementation approaches, tracking TMDL progress, and stormwater sources and TMDLs.
CONTACTS: Amanda Goldberg, 212-626-4748; [email protected]
or Kristen Skopeck, 315-477-6524; [email protected]
UNDER SECRETARY TO PRESENT PLAN FOR MARKET-BASED CONSERVATION
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2007 – USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, Mark Rey will discuss Market-Based Conservation as outlined in US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns’ 2007 Farm Bill proposal. Rey will be joined by national business leaders with a stake in the environmental future of America.
WHO: USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Mark Rey
WHAT: A presentation and discussion of the Bush Administration’s plan for Market-Based Conservation as outlined in the Conservation Title of Secretary Johanns 2007 Farm Bill proposal.
WHEN: 1:00 p.m. Thursday, April 12, 2007
WHERE: Baker & McKenzie LLP
1114 Avenue of the Americas
Fourth Floor Conference Room
New York, New York 10036
Telephone: 212-626-4100
PARTICULARS: Attendees must RSVP with Amanda Goldberg at 212-626-4748, so they can be cleared through security. Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, April 10.
Light refreshments will be provided.
For members of the media who can not attend in person, there are a specific number of phone access lines available. Please contact Kristen Skopeck at 315-477-6524 to be given the phone access information.
In Africa, there is growing potential for markets and payments for the ecosystem services (PES), including deals related to carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and watershed protection. These emerging markets and payments have the potential to encourage sustainable land management, conserve biodiversity and improve rural livelihoods throughout the continent.
Today, however, PES in Africa occurs on an ad hoc basis and primarily as small-scale pilot projects. Information gaps, lack of capacity to design and manage projects and the absence of institutions to support on-the-ground implementation have largely hindered efforts to scale up.
The East and Southern Africa Katoomba Groups regional conference aims to address these impediments by providing a forum to deepen and develop a shared understanding of PES in the region. The gathering also seeks to strengthen Governments role as supporters of PES and creators of an enabling environment for private sector investment in PES. In addition, the meeting will launch the East & Southern Africa Katoomba Group Network, with a view to stimulating and nurturing the development of markets for environmental services through ongoing information exchange and capacity building.
The conference builds on a similar gathering held in Uganda in September 2005 which brought together more than 70 experts from eastern and southern Africa, Europe, North America and Australia. The meeting in Uganda demonstrated that African countries have become increasingly interested in market-based conservation strategies such as payments for ecosystem services (PES) over recent years and a number of projects have emerged.
The 2006 meeting will be the second gathering of the Katoomba Group in the East and Southern African region. This event will bring together representatives from African and international NGOs, private business and industry associations, the rural development community, as well as political leaders interested in spurring the growth of environmental markets. During the meeting, participants will be exposed to and informed about some of the challenges and lessons learned from examples of environmental markets around the world and in Africa. While the focus is on East and Southern Africa, examples and speakers will be drawn from international and national initiatives.
We look forward to a fruitful discussion on how to scale up PES in East and Southern Africa and how to shape a vibrant regional Katoomba Group network.
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The time is ripe to invigorate discussions on ecosystems services in Tropical America. The Katoomba Network is designed to create an enabling environment for local actors to take critical steps towards the development and improvement of payments for ecosystem services-"PES" initiatives and policies, critical for restoring and improving ecosystems. The 10th gathering of this network, is being held in Brazil, a key actor in the international and regional discussion of evolving carbon markets and avoided deforestation. It is also a model country to develop and apply community based schemes for ecosystem services sales and drive relationships with the private sector.
Come join a group of influential PES innovators and practitioners seeking to spur the growth of environmental markets throughout Tropical America. At this first regional meeting of the Tropical America Katoomba Group, we build on years of International Katoomba Group experiences and aim to create a platform for active and direct learning about PES, while stimulating efficient and equitable development of ecosystem service markets in the Amazon region and other ecosystems in Brazil. Through this conference, you will emerge with a greater understanding of ecosystem service markets and understand your role in the growing network of people seeking to advance ecosystem services around the world.
The public conference will introduce global experiences and advances on ecosystem services from leaders around the world. A panel in the afternoon with examples and speakers drawn from Brazilian federal and state PES initiatives will highlight lessons and opportunities in this growing field. A special Katoomba "Dialogue" will be held including community members, NGO practitioners, the finance community, and academics, to address the critical topic of carbon opportunities.
