The IPSI Secretariat at the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) are pleased to announce the hosting of a parallel session on “Integrated landscape management: Effective approaches for translating knowledge into transformative actions” during the eighth International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP 2016), on Wednesday, 13 July 2016 in Yokohama, Japan.

Translating conservation and sustainable-development theory into action in the real world often requires linking diverse stakeholders, all of whom may have different interests ranging from local to international levels. Integrated approaches to landscape management have the potential to bridge this diversity, allowing biodiversity and anthropogenic production activities to coexist. Within the context of the Satoyama Initiative, the term “socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes” (SEPLS) has been coined to denote places where good management results in a harmonious mosaic of habitats and land- and sea-uses. SEPLS can meet a wide range of local needs – water, food, health, etc. – while also contributing to national conservation and sustainable development priorities and global targets such as the SDGs. Good management practices are found in many parts of the world, but SEPLS face serious threats today. This parallel session will focus on efforts to meet these threats, with the goals of sharing knowledge and fostering further action.

The event featured experts in SEPLS issues from around the IPSI partnership. The programme was as follows:

Opening Remarks:
Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto, Director of the IPSI Secretariat at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)

Keynote speech:
Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and Director and Professor of the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science at the University of Tokyo
“Integrated landscape management through reevaluation of traditional and local knowledge”

Panel Presentations:
Ms. Noriko Moriwake, Deputy Director of the IPSI Secretariat at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
Introduction to IPSI

Mr. Yasushi Hibi, Managing Director of Conservation International (CI) – Japan
Overview of the “GEF-Satoyama Project”

Mr. Jayant Sarnaik,  Joint Director of Applied Environment Research Foundation (AERF)
“Promoting Green Entrepreneurship for conservation of Satoyama landscapes in the North Western Ghats, India”

Panel Discussion Moderator:
Ms. Yoko Watanabe, Asia Regional Coordinator and Senior Biodiversity Specialist, Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The event was also featured in detail on the ISAP 2016 website here.