Reconciling competing land uses is a challenge faced by countries trying to protect the environment while spurring economic growth. We explore this challenge at the IUCN World Conservation Congress with a series of panel discussions, presentations and workshops aimed at identifying possible solutions.
Photo: Luciana Ludlow Paz/IUCN
The Sustainable land-use for a changing planet theme is part of the Forest Journey and runs from September 3-5, 2016. Here’s an overview of the events that will be taking place:
September 3
Visit the Business and Biodiversity Pavilion to learn about Net Positive Impact (NPI) approaches to agriculture and forestry. Business and NGO practitioners applying this technique in the Cerrado Biome in Brazil will share their experiences with participants.
September 4
Start your morning with a two-hour session on Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) with experts from the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (IUCN-CEM), IUCN Ecosystem Management Programme, IUCN Global Forest and Climate Change Programme, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR). The session includes a video screening, book launch and an interactive session with the authors.
Join Judy Fisher of the IUCN-CEM and Jamie Reaser, Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council (NISC) Secretariat, U.S. Department of the Interior as they lead a discussion on the role of indigenous people in conservation. Representatives from indigenous communities from America, Africa, Australia and other regions will be speaking at the event. The session will focus on their relationship with the forest and how their knowledge can be harnessed to tackle invasive species.
The afternoon begins with a panel discussion and Q&A on the Land-Use Dialogue (LUD) Initiative, started by The Forest Dialogue (TFD). The hallmark of LUD is the tools it is designing to ensure that the voices of diverse stakeholders are represented in landscape management strategies. Stay on at the Forest Pavilion for a high-level session on sustainable pastoralism and range management led by UNEP, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank and IUCN.
At 16:00, in the United States Pavilion, three young professionals and three experienced forestry leaders are hosting a quiz on conservation tools, the role of public efforts in protecting efforts and the importance of ecosystem services.
The next event is one you can’t miss! We’ll be presenting the results of the first-ever continental scale assessment of ecosystems in America. This is part of IUCN’s new tool, the Red List of Ecosystems, which identifies the conservation status of ecosystems by quantifying their risk of collapse. Alternatively, head toa Knowledge Café for a discussion with the Dry Forest Hui, a collaboration of six Hawai’i Island conservation groups to protect and restore dryland ecosystems.
End your day with a joint celebration of the SUSTAIN-Africa Initiative at the Forest, Water, and Business and Biodiversity Pavilions. SUSTAIN-Africa works towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa and focuses on integrating water, land and ecosystem management with business objectives.
September 5
One of IUCN’s biggest strengths is its role as a union. Witness this power in action at the Forest Pavilion – IUCN’s task force on primary forests, which was convened based on a 2012 Congress resolution, will be discussing the work they have done so far. In the afternoon, experts from the International Society of Tropical Foresters, Yale Chapter, and a host of other organisations will be giving presentations and leading group discussions on how protecting nature can help countries achieve the SDGs.
You can find the entire schedule of events here. Remember to tweet to us using #ForestJourney and #IUCNCongress and tagging @IUCN_Forests so we can share these events along with you!
