IPSI Newsletter, September 2012

2012.09.21

New IPSI Members
The IPSI Secretariat is very pleased to announce that six new member organizations joined the Partnership based on a positive decision by the IPSI Steering Committee members. Please welcome our six newest members:
  •  Aleph, Inc. [Japan]
  • Centre for Toki and Ecological Restoration, Niigata University [Japan]
  • Civil Society Organizations’ Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment in East Africa (CISONET) [Uganda]
  • FRUTA FRUTA, Inc. [Japan]
  • The Nature Conservancy [International]
  • NPO Tambo (Rice Paddies Network Japan) [Japan]
From its original 51 founding member organizations, IPSI has grown rapidly. Within just two years, the membership has more than doubled to include 123 different organizations. A full list of these organizations is available here.
IPSI at the IUCN WCC
The World Conservation Congress, held once every four years by IUCN, has just gotten underway in Jeju, Republic of Korea, and it is exciting to see how well the IPSI membership is represented at the world’s largest conservation event. Please take a moment to review a list of events featuring IPSI member participation that have been collected by the Secretariat. Your attendance at these events would be greatly appreciated. To read more about the IUCN WCC on the congress webpage, go here or view the official programme. The IPSI Secretariat will also be attending the IUCN WCC and actively participating in a workshop on 10 September titled “Enhancing Resilience with Nature: Translating the Science and Practice of Ecosystem Restoration into Policy” (programme) and a knowledge café on 7 September on “Sharing Post-Tsunami Environmental Lessons Learned and Incorporating Nature Based Solutions into Disaster Recovery” (programme).
Updates on Third IPSI Global Conference + CBD COP11September 2012 picture 1
The 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) marked a pivotal point in the history of IPSI. It was during this time that the global partnership was launched, and now, two years later, it is a pleasure to announce that preparations are proceeding smoothly to hold the Third IPSI Global Conference back-to-back with CBD COP11 in Hyderabad, India. Some details of the programme/agenda are still being finalized, but preparations are being made for three main events: 1)    Third IPSI Global Conference (6-7 October 2012) consisting of a closed Assembly and Public Forum 2)    An “IPSI Evening”, which will feature a range of distinguished speakers (9 October 2012) 3)    A side event showcasing the outcomes of IPSI over the last two years (11 October 2012) As we move towards IPSI-3 and COP11, please check the Satoyama Initiative website and emails from the Secretariat for the latest updates.
NBSAP Regional Workshop held in Rotoroa, New Zealand
A series of regional capacity-building workshops are being organized to assist countries in establishing national targets within the context of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and in revising and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) in line with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. At the Pacific regional workshop, the Satoyama Initiative was introduced in the context of mainstreaming biodiversity into national and sectoral development and into landscapes and seascapes. The presentation provided examples of how the Satoyama Initiative can assist countries to mainstream biodiversity into productive landscapes.
IPSI Activities in Japan’s Tsunami-Affected Tohoku Region

Community-dialogue Seminar

On 25 August 2012, Tohoku University and UNU, in collaboration with other IPSI members including  the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Ink Cartridge Satogaeri Project and CEPA Japan, organised a community-dialogue seminar for the Urato Islands, Miyagi Prefecture, which was severely affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011. The seminar was attended by more than 40 islanders. Two keynote speeches were delivered to introduce how different island communities managed to overcome challenges they were facing, including cases of Okushiri Island, which recovered from a tsunami back in 1993, and of Ama Town, which has attracted young urban people to move to the island. These keynote speeches were followed by an interactive workshop to discuss how they can sustainably restore and revitalize their community and livelihoods nurtured by the unique satoyama/satoumi environment and culture. More information is available online here. September 2012 picture 2

FireworksSeptember 2012 picture 3

Several IPSI members, including Tohoku University, Ink Cartridge Satogaeri Project and UNU donated to purchase fireworks for a summer festival in the Urato Islands. They wished for a fast recovery from the disaster. Many people enjoyed the “flowers in the sky”.