Virtual World Biodiversity Forum 2021
2021 is the “Year of Impact” - COP26 of UNFCCC, COP15 of CBD and COP15 of UNCCD are convening; parties are expected to commit to a new global biodiversity framework and increase their ambition to combat climate change. Invigoration of synergies between conventions will hopefully set us on a path to greater sustainability and to achieving the SDGs in 2030. Underlying these global aspirations are regional, national and local actions that are practical and solutions-oriented.
In the World Biodiversity Forum Virtual Events, we will bring together biodiversity scientists, scientists from disciplines relevant to the theme of the virtual event with representatives from key sectors (agriculture, finance, health), as well as other societal actors, e.g youth, to introduce case studies, tell us about success stories and highlighting synergies. Events are intended as calls to action, offering inspiration and positive examples for solutions to create an impact action agenda for biodiversity.
The series of events will kick off with a launch event on 7 January 2021, and continue with six weekly events in May / June 2021. The event in January builds the foundation (the why and the what), while events in May / June pick up specific themes and highlight options for actions and solutions (the how), and challenge the audience to follow suit and take action.
At this stage, events will be held in english only.
Biodiversity for a New Decade
Setting the scene for the events to follow, the event will convene leaders in biodiversity to to discuss the questions Why do we need to take action and what do we want to achieve?
Focussing on transition points and the transformation necessary to achieve this goal, the event aims to shape narratives and to highlight actionable outcomes.
Speakers
- David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (United Nations Biodiversity)
- Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary, IPBES (tbc)
Panelists
- Rashid Sumaila, Professor of Ocean and Fisheries Economics, University of British Columbia
- Mark Rounsevell, Professor of Land Use Change, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Chadia Wannous, Coordinator, Towards A Safer World Network
- Lynne Shannon, Marine Research Institute, University of Cape Town
Date and Time: Thursday, 7th January 2021, 18:00 CET
Register here to join the live event.
A recording will be made available for later viewing.
Lipstick on a Fig Tree
Why Planting Trees Avoids the Real Problems (and May Make Things Worse)
Tree planting dominates political and popular agendas, and is often portrayed as an easy answer to the climate crisis and effective mitigation for corporate carbon emissions. However, it is not a simple solution: Planting the wrong trees in the wrong place can cause considerably more damage than benefits, failing people and nature. Given that the botanical community is currently assessing the conservation status of every tree species on Earth (https://globaltreeassessment.org/) and we grow over 18,000 tree species in botanic gardens and arboreta, Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BCGI) and University of British Columbia Botanical Garden (UBCBG) have an important role to play in helping to ensure that the right tree is planted in the right place and that diverse native species are part of tree planting portfolios. Surely it is common sense to incorporate biodiversity, botanical data and botanical expertise into both the planning and practice of tree planting? This may not be the case.
Firstly, unlike carbon or timber, biodiversity is not a commodity. As long as this remains the case, market-based solutions to the loss of biodiversity are untenable. Secondly, few (if any) governments regard biodiversity as enough of a public good to commoditize it or fund it directly at the levels required. Thirdly, science itself has a credibility problem. Large parts of society completely misunderstand science and see it as a competing belief system or dogma (climate change is a case in point) rather than a process of testing and consensus.
So what needs to change? Just about everything. Governments need to recognize biodiversity for the public good that it is and pull every lever at their disposal to either commoditize it or directly pay for it. Society needs to recognize the importance of science in informing the decisions we urgently need to make to ensure life on Earth is sustainable. Science needs to value and reward the practical as well as the intellectual. The botanic garden community needs to put the practical conservation of biodiversity first – in our seed banks, in our living collections and, most importantly, out there in the landscape.
Join Dean Meigan Aronson of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Science, Patrick Lewis of the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and Paul Smith of Botanic Gardens Conservation International in a virtual event exploring a botanist’s rules of engagement in a rapidly changing world.
Register here to join the live event.