The IPSI Secretariat at UNU-IAS, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Conservation International (CI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat, held a side event at the Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 13) in Cancun, Mexico on 8 December 2016, titled “Contributions of funding mechanisms under the Satoyama Initiative to mainstreaming biodiversity for well-being”.

Mainstreaming biodiversity at the landscape level requires integration and coordination from local to regional and global levels. Funding provided to local projects should be aligned with policy priorities to maximize its on-the-ground effectiveness and contribute to the base of knowledge useful at larger scales. Several models of funding mechanisms have been established through collaborative activities under IPSI, from seed funding for promising local projects to combining GEF financing for site-based activities with the production and management of knowledge at a global scale. This side event aimed to provide insight on how funding mechanisms can effectively contribute toward mainstreaming biodiversity through supporting actions for sustainable management of production landscapes and seascapes.

The programme included:

Introductory remarks by:
Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto, (United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability)
Prof. Alfred Oteng-Yeboah (University of Ghana, Ghana National Biodiversity Committee)

A special presentation by Ms. Yoko Watanabe (Global Environmental Facility) “Financing Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Production Landscapes and Seascapes”

Presentations on three IPSI collaborative activities by:
Dr. Yoji Natori (Conservation International) “GEF-Satoyama Project”
Mr. William Dunbar (United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability) “Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS) Project”
Mr. Yohsuke Amano (United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability) “Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM) Project”

Panel discussion featuring the presenters and others.