Global South-South Development Expo

Solution Exchange Forum on Energy, Climate Change:

Focus on Biodiversity, Forestry and Land Degredation

20 November 2012

3:30 - 6:00 pm

Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

Primary contact person	Bob Kakuyo Email: bob.kakuyo@unep.org Rui Zhang Email: rui.zhang@unep.org
Solution Forum Description	The Solution Forum aims to present development solutions on bio-diversity, forestry and land degradation in the midst of climate change and increasing demand for energy - especially in restoring or rehabilitating degraded habitats and ecosystem services, promoting the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, preserving and enhancing the ecosystem services that buffer communities from extreme events; and ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable. The solution presenters will bring with them new technology and capacity (i.e. transfers of know-how, technology, and exchanges of information) which can be utilized through South-South cooperation and positively influence profound changes in peoples’ lives. With the rise of new modes of dialogue and South-South cooperation among developing countries, the development solutions that will be showcased in this Forum are essential tools in the fight against poverty and for the promotion of access to information and socioeconomic opportunities, especially in the areas of knowledge sharing, civic participation, economic empowerment, agriculture and food security, as well as climate change adaptation and its peripheral themes surrounding natural and man-made disasters.
List of Panelists	Name	Brief CV and description of the presentation.
	Prof. Dr. Luis Aragon, UNESCO Chair in South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development	Prof. Dr. Luis Eduardo Aragón is a Colombian, resident in Brazil since 1976. He graduated in Social Sciences by the Faculty of Education at the National University of Colombia, and has a MA and a PhD in Geography from Michigan State University, a post-doc in population studies from Brown University, and Latin American studies from Stockholm University; and special courses in regional planning and management of international cooperation. He served as Executive Secretary of the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ) and Coordinator of the Office for International Affairs and the Center for Advanced Amazonian Studies of the Federal University of Para (Brazil) (NAEA/UFPA). He has been visiting professor/scholar at the University of Swansea (Wales) and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in Ecuador. Since 1976 he is a professor and scholar at NAEA/UFPA, and is currently a fellow of the LEAD Program (Leadership for Environment and Development) and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development, Federal University of Para. He was the first holder of the Chair Milton Santos at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (Portugal) (2011/2012).

	Dr. Miguel Clüsener-Godt, UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences	Dr Clüsener-Godt is German and has a Ph.D. in Biology/Ecology. He is a Programme Specialist in the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO HQs, Paris. He is responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Macaronesian and the Pacific Region. Principle fields of activities are South-South Co-operation on Environmentally Sound Socio-Economic Development in the Humid Tropics (Brazil – Democratic Republic of Congo- Indonesia), World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves, Coastal Zones and Small Islands, the REDBIOS Network in the East-Atlantic and Asia Pacific Co-operation for the Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources in Biosphere Reserves and Similarly Managed Areas.

	Solution 1: Sustainable Rural Development and Biodiversity Conservation in the Biosphere Reserves of the Amazon Solution Description: The Amazon Biosphere Reserves Programme is an initiative of the UNESCO Chair in South-South Cooperation for Sustainable Development, on scientific knowledge development for biodiversity and sustainable rural development, supported by several UNESCO units, the Ministry of Environment of Spain, the Federal University of Para, the Association of Amazonian Universities (UNAMAZ), the Ministry of Science and Technology and other Brazilian agencies. Through the implementation of a large system of activities and partnerships related to higher education, research and documentation, the programme addresses the priority issues on population and biodiversity in the Amazon region. Under the programme, a geographic Information System Data Base of 12 Biosphere Reserves has been created and good practices in these Reserves on rural development and biodiversity conservation are documented. This development of information and knowledge has contributed to the formulation of 48 pilot projects (24 of rural development and 24 of biodiversity) for 2013. The programme has involved a broad scope of stakeholders, including Reserve managers, consultants, local communities and public managers (mayors, governors) in these activities and facilitated exchanges among Reserve managers on conservation knowledge and strategies. As a result, local communities become more aware of the benefits from Biosphere Reserves conservation to rural development and their livelihoods.

	Dr. Zhou Guomei，Deputy Director General of China-ASEAN Cooperation Center for Environmental Protection (CAEC)	Dr. Zhou Guomei is the Deputy Director General of China-ASEAN Cooperation Center for Environmental Protection (CAEC) and former Deputy Director of Institute for International Environmental Policies, Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy of Ministry of Environmental Protection of China. Dr. Zhou has 18 years’ experience as environmental economist and team leader in a number of studies on environmental and economic policies, supporting national decision-making for environmental protection. Dr. Zhou has published more than 80 academic papers and 6 books (including co-authorship) on global environmental issues and policies, environmental economics, studies of sustainable development, economic evaluation of environmental impacts, among others. Dr. Zhou plays an instrumental role in environmental cooperation programmes between China-ASEAN, including China-ASEAN Green Envoys Program, China-ASEAN Cooperation Framework of Environmental Industry and Environmental Sound Technology. She was senior visiting scholar in MIT of the USA, Kyoto University of Japan and York University of the UK. She also worked as environmental economics expert for UNEP, World Bank, ADB, JICA and other international agencies. Dr. Zhou was the state candidate of New Centaury National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project in 2009, endorsed by the 8 ministries in China. Dr. Zhou holds a Master Degree from Tsinghua University and a Ph. D from Beijing Normal University.

	Solution 2 - Protecting Biodiversity through Regional Cooperation and Alternative Livelihoods: solutions promoted by China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center (CAEC) Solution Description: To preserve the country’s rich biodiversity and ecosystems while supporting people’s livelihoods, China has developed a range of different income generation “alternative livelihoods for biodiversity conservation” schemes that are integrated as a common component in conservation projects. Good practices of such activities include, for example, berry and mushroom cultivation, bee-keeping, medicinal plant, herbs and green tea cultivation in Hubei Province. Through these schemes, biodiversity conservation is mainstreamed into rural development and aligned with people’s livelihoods. The strategy of supporting engaging local communities in conservation as manager of renewable biodiversity resources has proven to be vital for enforcing conservation law, particularly in the highly populated Asian region. China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation (CAEC) is a unique platform, es aiming at promoting regional cooperation on environment between ten ASEAN Member States (AMS) and China. Through this platform, such innovative solutions can be replicated in other countries through three components (1) experience sharing (2) capacity building and (3) public awareness and education.

	Dr. Carlos E. Hernández. Hemandez, Director General of Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio*)	Dr. Carlos Enrique Herrero Hernandez is the Director General of the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio*), since September, 2010. He holds a doctorate from the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, and attended a Masters and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Purdue University and University of Virginia, respectively. He studied Environmental Management and Advanced Credit Analysis and Rescue Business at INCAE. He was involved in the School of Agriculture of the Humid Tropical Region (EARTH) since its establishment and for over twenty years as Project Coordinator and Research Director of EARTH-La Flor, and university professor in production systems management waste and rural construction. He held the position of Chief Operating Officer of the Reserva Conchal and has been an advisor and consultant to various private and international organizations of the United Nations on issues of engineering, agriculture and environmental management. He has experience and proven ability in achieving and fund management, management of human groups, effective administration and performance.

	Solution 3: Biodiversity Informatics and Valuing Non-Timber Forest Products for Biodiversity and Sustainable Forest Management: INBio’s solutions Solution description: INBio‘s expertise, innovation and project experiences in Biodiversity Informatics have been translated to capacity building and technology transfer support to assist many developing countries in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. INBio has developed the technology to capture, manage and publish biodiversity information (Atta System) and a Web Portal that allows the integration of biodiversity information managed in heterogeneous databases in the region, among other tools. All software developed by INBio is distributed under free software licenses to facilitate the transfer of technology and to avoid duplication of efforts. To support the technology transfer and uptaking, INBio also provides research support and capacity building in this field. As an outcome, six regional and national networks (Bhutan, Benin, Chile) on bio-informatics have been established, which enable 92 institutions in the region share information and biodiversity data freely and openly over the Internet, using protocols and standards developed by the international community. More than one million five hundred thousand digitized specimen records in coordination with 42 institutions, and 36,840 species records digitized by 12 institutions. Information is available on the websites of SSTN and Central America and the Caribbean Herbaria Network. Seven workshops held (two regional and five national) to train trainers in the field of biodiversity informatics, with the participation of 43 representatives from 24 countries of the American region. 20 regular training workshops have been organized in different countries with the participation of over 430 people. 30 countries now are involved in the implemented projects. Such joint information tool has proven to be effective in supporting sustainable forest management as well. The development of joint information base for non-timber forest products among three tropical developing countries, i.e. Benin (Western Africa), Buthan (South Asia) and Costa Rica (Central America), supported by the Netherlands, for instance, has contributed to the marketing of the value of non-timber forest products in these countries. INBio’s technology and knowledge on the cultivation of mushrooms and sustainable use of insects have been shared among partners.

	Ms. Anthea Stephens Director Grasslands Programme South African National Biodiversity Institute	Ms. Anthea Stephens is currently heading up the National Grasslands Programme at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). The Grasslands Programme is a US$8.3million multi-stakeholder partnership initiative designed to mainstream biodiversity management into the major production sectors operating on the grasslands biome in South Africa. Anthea has years of experience managing complex environmental programmes having previously worked at IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as acting director and manager of the country programme. She holds an MSc in Environmental and Geographical Science which she received from the University of Cape Town. She has held positions on the board of directors for PhytoTrade Africa, the Southern African National Products Trade Association and on the advisory panel of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa.

	Solution 4: South Africa’s Grasslands Programme and Innovative Partnership for Landscape Conservation– Solutions from SANBI Solution description: South Africa’s Grasslands Programme is an innovative partnership between all levels of government, conservation agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The programme delivers solutions at landscape level, to protect biodiversity and secure ecosystem services of the grasslands biome for current and future generations. The programme applies cutting-edge biodiversity planning tools and information, tailored to the specific needs to users, to be implemented across landscapes. This involves working within and beyond the boundaries of protected areas to manage a mosaic of land uses including protection, restoration, production and subsistence use, in order to deliver ecological, economic and social benefits. This approach brings together diverse players in partnerships to mainstream biodiversity considerations into land-use planning and the operations of multiple sectors. Through a partnership with South Africa’s forestry sector, innovative solutions to preserve biodiversity and quality of land while ensuring development benefits have emerged: • The development and mainstreaming the application of tools for identifying biodiversity priority areas for land use planning and decision-making, ensuring more sustainable land use and improved management of biodiversity through biodiversity stewardship; • A certification approach tailored to the needs of small growers in the forestry sector that seeks to demonstrate sustainability at the landscape level and to pursue partnerships with government and the private sector. This unique approach incorporates shared responsibility and communal interests. It has also resulted in increased market opportunities for small growers in the forestry sector, which increases employment and livelihood benefits to local communities; Together, these initiatives are helping to establish corridors for biodiversity that will buffer against the effects of climate change, secure core conservation areas using biodiversity stewardship as a tool for improving conservation management on important areas, while simultaneously supporting development of small-growers in rural areas, and creating sustainable livelihoods through capacity building and job creation. Sustainable livelihoods and job creation, combined with good ecosystem management, help to decrease the vulnerability of communities to the socio-economic implications of climate change. These solutions help to sustain resilient ecosystems and to maintain ecological processes at a large scale, which is increasingly important to the delivery of critical ecosystem services in the face of anticipated climate change.

	Mr Jimmy Kereseka, LLCTC Environment Coordinator Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities and The Nature Conservancy	Mr Kereseka was a school teacher in the Solomon Islands until 2006 when he became the Lauru Land Conference’s Environment Coordinator. His role includes working with local communities and partnering with the Lauru Land Conference to support their decision making process for how their lands will be managed. This collaboration has resulted in grassroots support for conservation in Choiseul, and is now guiding the creation of an ambitious and extensive network of terrestrial and marine protected areas. Mr Kereseka has published papers on these efforts and has shared lessons learned at regional and international fora. He has played an instrumental role in the significant success the Lauru Land Conference and the people of Choiseul have achieved in the better management of their resources particularly in the face of climate change.

	Solution 5: Communities Protecting Biodiversity, Tackling Climate Change and Supporting Livelihoods: Solutions Promoted by Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities Solution description: To preserve the a large island of the Solomon Islands rich biodiversity and ecosystems while supporting people’s livelihoods and adapting to climate change, Choiseul Province (a large island in the Solomon Islands which is still largely under customary ownership) The solution is the empowerment of local communities who in this instance are the collected chiefs of Lauru who joined together in a commitment to protect key cultural and natural resources across the whole island (it is the most biodiverse island in the Solomon archipelago, and contains the largest stands of lowland rainforest in the entire Pacific) by establishing designated marine and terrestrial protected areas in every community. This ‘reefs to ridges’network of protected areas(‘Lauru PAN’) aims to protect and manage ‘tambu’ sites including reefs, inshore fisheries, water sources and valuable forest areas in the context of threatening processes caused by climate change. Part of this solution is a demonstration project in one coastal community which showed how such a commitment can be planned and implemented and how community resilience is bolstered through the strengthening local adaptive capacity (the community’s ability to plan, respond and recover from shocks caused by adverse climate and other stresses). This solution includes the use of participatory tools to strengthen community understanding of climate change and ability to plan for, respond to and recover from shocks including those caused by adverse impact. Specific tools used effectively were participatory 3D modeling which allowed for real-time integration of science and local knowledge in the context of community owned maps and planning tools. The solution also involved networking on tools and approaches between communities and between other provinces which increase support from national government agencies and ministries. This year every community in Choiseul will have a plan that includes adaptation and should have begun an initial set of activities. In addition to this, the Provincial Government’s development planning process now includes community-based adaptation as a core component. Lessons learned from this solution have been shared in the Pacific and in islands across the world.

	Mr. Hernando Garcia Researcher of the Biology of Conservation Program Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos, Alexander von Humboldt, Colombia	Dr. Garcia is a permanent researcher of the Conservation Biology and Biodiversity Use Program in the Humboldt Institute in Colombia. He is a biologist with master’s degree in Ecology and Doctorate candidate in Ecology at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. His research focuses on evolutionary ecology and conservation, with special emphasis in plant diversity. Within his professional responsibility, he articulates scientific knowledge management processes for decision making in conservation contexts. His institutional duties in the Humboldt Institute include coordinating the development of Conservation Portfolio to manage key ecosystems such as dry forests and paramos, and key economic sectors such as the hydrocarbon sector. Dr. Garcia also supports the technical coordination and consolidation of the National Strategy for Plant Conservation, which involves the development of methodological and thematic agendas (endangered species, medicinal plants, wild relatives, among others). His work contributes to the development of networks that link the national technical and scientific research and information to decision makers in conservation issues.
	Ms. Ana Maria Hernandez International Cooperation Officer Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos, Alexander von Humboldt, Colombia	Ms. Ana Hernandez is in charge of the international affairs, including cooperation and negotiation, at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute in Colombia. Previously to that post, she was General Director of NaturaCert Foundation and Head of the International Affairs Office at the Ministry of Environment. Ana has her professional degree on International Relations and a Master of Arts also in International Relations. She has studies on genetics, biosafety, biotechnology and intellectual property rights, and since year 2000 she is professor of Universidad del Rosario in Bogota. With more than 15 years of experience in the field of cooperation and negotiation in biodiversity, she has been honored with posts as Vice Chair at the UNCCD COP Bureau and the SPAW Protocol. Also she acts as official delegate at the meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity. She has publications on international treaties, international environmental law, and access to genetic resources, traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights and also about the relation between biodiversity, trade and sustainable development.
	Mr. Oliver Hillel, Programme Officer, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity	Mr. Oliver Hillel has been a Programme Officer at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme) in Montreal, Canada, for the last 6 years. He is responsible for the issues of South-South cooperation, sub-national implementation (involvement of States, Regions and cities), Sustainable Tourism, and Island Biodiversity. A biologist with a master's Degree in Environmental Education and MBAs on Managerial Accounting and Hotel Management, Oliver has over 24 years’ experience on international cooperation and negotiations on sustainable tourism, event organization, and training and capacity building programs across many themes and issues related to sustainable development. Previously, he was the team leader for a tourism development cooperation project in the Philippines, Tourism Programme Coordinator for UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics based in Paris, France, and Ecotourism Program director for Conservation International. He also worked for SENAC, a professional training institution in his home country Brazil, where he created and managed training and consulting services for hotels, restaurants, and theme parks. For the past 3 years, Oliver has coordinated the SCBD’s activities on South-South cooperation, supporting negotiations that led to the adoption, by the G77 and China, of the Multi-Year Plan of Action on South-South cooperation on Biodiversity for Development, at CBD COP 10 in Japan, and subsequent guidance from Parties on this issue, and collaborating with UNEP, UNDP/SSC, and various centres of excellence in SSC at regional and global levels.

	Solution 6 - Zoning and landscape planning for sustainable use of biodiversity in regions allocated to the exploitation of hydrocarbons, Solution from Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research on Biological Resources, a center of excellence to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Solution description: Created in 1993, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Research on Biological Resources, a valuable partner of the CBD, is the biodiversity research branch of the National Environmental System (Sina). The institute is a civil nonprofit corporation linked to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The Institute is responsible for carrying out scientific research on biodiversity in Colombia. This includes research on hydrobiological and genetic resources. In addition, the Institute coordinates the National System of Information on Biodiversity and the formation of the national biodiversity inventory. Within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified by Colombia in 1994, the Institute generates the necessary knowledge to evaluate the state of biodiversity of Colombia and to make sustainable decisions in relation to biodiversity. With the Colombian National Agency for Hydrocarbons, Humboldt Institute explores participative planning and land-use zoning technologies in Colombian landscapes (such as the Paramos and other Andean ecosystems) that ensure that local communities, conservation stakeholders and other major groups define, under frameworks proposed by government agencies and the private sector, optimal approaches for the exploration of oil and gas reserves, with minimal impacts on biodiversity ecosystem services and the livelihood of poor, indigenous and traditional communities. It regularly cooperates with other members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, with Germany, the UK and several South- and Central-American Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Parties to the CBD have recognized the critical contribution of South-South cooperation on biodiversity for development, complemented and supported by North-South cooperation, particularly in view of the challenge to implement its expanded Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. In this light, a Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development has been developed and adopted by the G-77 and China at COP10 at the first South-South Cooperation Forum at COP10 in 2010. The CBD Secretariat is requested by Parties to “support a capacity-building network of national and regional centres of excellence in biodiversity in developing countries to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020”, and “to promote South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation as part of a coherent, consistent and coordinated approach to technical and scientific cooperation and information exchange”. In line with this mandate, the goal of the SCBD’s contribution to the GSSD Expo 2012 is to support showcasing Southern-owned Development Solutions on climate change, energy and biodiversity emerged from biodiversity centers of excellence in the South, and to collect input and suggestions to assist the replication and scaling-up of these solutions through its SSC mechanism – a network of centers of excellence on biodiversity for development, in partnership with UNEP’s South-South Cooperation Exchange Mechanism.