GREEN COMMUNITIES without frontiers

GREEN COMMUNITIES without frontiers

Pan-European CBD COP10 NGO Preparatory MeetingGabala, 5-6th July 2010

PORTUGAL

Goal

Education, information and training people for getting involved in biodiversity conservation activities at local and regional level in supporting the Convention on Biological Diversity proper implementation at local level.

Possible activities Green space

Biodiversity conservation measures

Agriculture biodiversity

Invasive alien species

Co-existence of new technologies and traditional knowledge

Intellectual property rights

Developing and strengthening the urban plan develop. and management

New challenges

Communities and outputs

Project should apply to different kind of communities: Villages to cities

Outputs: Trained people, more informed, educated and committed Guidelines for communities in working with small and large

communities with different backgrounds identifying strength and weakness

Data base development for reporting the local biodiversity status of conservation – in support activities from the community level – to be validated by science - for achieving the CBD goals.

700 European species are threatened, while the number of alien exotic species in Pan-Europe continues to rise(In EEA’s fourth Pan-European Assessment)

Most important factors for biodiversity loss*:

Alteration and destruction of habitat(Ex: soil use change, physical change and draining of rivers, loss of coral reefs, damage in ocean floor due to some fishing techniques)

Over-exploitation

Invasive alien species

Climate change

Pollution In Millennium Ecosystem Analysis (MEA, 2005)

Current status of biodiversity

Statement by Ahmed Djoghlaf* *Executive Secretary of the CBD

On the occasion of the Second World Cities Summit 2010 Singapore, 30 June 2010

“Last month, the CBD Secretariat released the third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook.

Based on 120 national reports submitted by Parties,

the report demonstrates that the international community (...) has failed to fulfil its commitment to reduce substantially the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010.

The report confirms that we continue to lose biodiversity at unprecedented rates: today, species extinction rates may be 1,000 times higher than the natural rate.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a new biodiversity vision for a healthy and sustainable future for mankind.

This new vision should integrate the distinct contribution of cities in protecting life on Earth.

… the world’s urban population now exceeds that of rural areas. A new era has been born - the era of “Homo urbanus”, the city dweller.

This development is expected to have far-reaching implications for humanity and for biodiversity.

Cities occupy 2 per cent of the planet’s surface, but their residents use 75 per cent of the Earth’s natural resources.

LAB – Local Action for Biodiversity

http://www.iclei.org/lab

BIO-LOCAL* Diversity of local actions for Biodiversity

Local and regional biodiversity

Consumption and biodiversity Agricultural biodiversity

A project of the Municipality of Moita (Portugal)

Biodiversity near people, in local identity and history

Get to know local biodiversity

And main habitats

Subtidal areaMud flats

Oyster beds

Cereal fieldsSaltmarshes

Saltpans

“Caniçal”

Portuguese Oyster

Learn about locally extinct species

Identify human activities connected with biodiversity

Aquaculture

Salt-pans

Fishing and collecting molluscs

Oyster harvest and preparation

And local threats to biodiversity

OverfishingPollution

Biodiversity andour Consumption

Help local consumers to discover the links between their choices and Biodiversity

Eco-consumer tours

Impact on working conditions?

Impact on animal welfare?

Impact of GEE?

Impact of packaging?

Impact on Biodiversity?

1. “Check-in”Adding more knowledge on ones's “luggage”

GMOs; Pesticides

The beneficts of organic farming

Contributing to protect forests

www.fsc.org

Choosing local and seasonal products

Supporting regional varieties in kitchen gardens

Choosing sustainable fish products

www.msc.org

Sustainable consumption of certain species…

“I buy to have biodiversity today and tomorow!”

2. In-door tour Pratice in the supermarket

3. Out-door tourGet to know local producers

Build partnerships with private sectors

The compromise of a Cooperative of Consumers in Italy:

Dolphin- friendly products

Protection of Red Tuna

Stakeholders / partners Local Councils (Municipalities) Local Cooperatives and Businesses Other NGOs

Strenghts and Opportunities: Local Councils have frequently transportation means, good connection with school community and good channels for communication with general public and registration logistics

Weaknesses and Threats:Local Councils may not have a coherent policy, ex. on urban planning and developmentLocal businesses may be shops linked to national or multinational companies Difficult to evaluate results in awareness projects

Some questions

Added value of Pan-Europe Data base on local biodiversity Guide-lines on how to deal with local

communities

Thank you

paulalopessilva@gmail.com

Presentation available at www.slideshare.net/paulalopessilva

www.quercus.pt We thank to the Municipality of Moita for the images made available