Sri
Lanka hosts Asia's largest conservation forum
Voicing concerns
'Growing Together: Ecosystems & Livelihoods in Asia' is the
theme of the upcoming IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum to be
held at the BMICH from December 10-13.
The event will
address sustainable development issues in this biodiversity-rich
region.
The Regional Conseravtion Forum (RCF) brings IUCN's constituency
together to discuss, review, and approve the region's contribution
to the IUCN intercessional programme. It is organized in preparation
for the World Conservation Congress (WCC), which will be held in
November 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand.
"The RCF
represents the ‘Voice of Asia’ on conservation issues
which will be brought to next year's WCC," says Aban Marker
Kabraji, IUCN Regional Director for Asia. "The main objective
of the forum is to ensure that environmental and conservation efforts
in the region are science-based, effective, compatible, and connected
as necessary to achieve conservation and sustainable development
goals."
The forum will
focus on four main themes:
- From the
mountains to the sea: how to manage ecosystems as landscapes;
- Conservation
as a poverty reduction strategy: supporting livelihoods and minimising
insecurity and vulnerability;
- Benefits
beyond boundaries: how do we manage protected areas after World
Parks Congress 2003; and
- The failure
of Cancun: trade, globalisation and biodiversity.
The RCF will
be co-hosted by the government of Sri Lanka and IUCN-The World Conservation
Union.
Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremasinghe will inaugurate the event, while IUCN President
Yolanda Kakabadse and IUCN Director General Achim Steiner will make
keynote addresses.
Participants
will include representatives of governments, non-governmetal organizations,
research and scientific organizations, bilateral and multilateral
donors, UN bodies, eminent scientists, members of the corporate
sector, and conservationists from 23 countries in the Asia region
and beyond. |