IPSI Newsletter, February 2019

2019.02.22

Dear IPSI members and friends,

Greetings from the IPSI Secretariat in Tokyo, Japan. IPSI and its members continue to stay active in a wide variety of projects and activities related to maintaining and revitalizing socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS).

This month’s newsletter contains a report from the recent CBD consultation on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the Asia-Pacific region, a request for views on said framework, a reminder of a call for applications to a fellowship programme at United Nations University, and an introduction to one of our recent case studies received from Greenglobe Ghana.

As always, we hope you will contact us to submit any new case studies or other information about your activities, or if you have any questions or comments.

IPSI Secretariat

CBD Regional Consultation Workshop on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for Asia and the Pacific

A Regional Consultation Workshop was held 28 January to 1 February on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for Asia and the Pacific, as the first of a planned series of regional workshops to allow CBD parties to provide input and views on what they would like included and not included in the proposed post-2020 global biodiversity framework. A number of IPSI partners took part in the workshop, and the IPSI Secretariat also organized a side event titled “Multi-stakeholder partnership to enhance landscape and seascape approaches for biodiversity conservation and human livelihoods” along with the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Conservation International, and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, providing participants a good opportunity to heighten their awareness on landscape and seascape approaches and our partnership..

The workshop was organized with a number of background and explanatory presentations, and many discussion sessions for participants to freely share ideas. Sessions topics ranged from initial brainstorming and identification of general issues raised from the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity to concrete ideas for the post-2020 framework. Discussion in the workshop largely focused on issues such as whether the new framework should represent an incremental update of the current plan or a major transformation, incorporation of multiple perspectives, and what kinds of biodiversity targets should be included. Outcomes from this workshop are expected to feed into further regional, thematic, and other consultations, which will then provide input for the post-2020 framework. The new framework is expected to be adopted at CBD COP 15 in China in 2020.

More information on the workshop can be found on the CBD website here.

CBD Request for Views on Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

The CBD Secretariat recently sent out a notification encouraging Parties and observers to provide further views on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, based on the initial discussion document that was produced based on the first round of views collected late last year. At that time, the IPSI Secretariat received many submissions from partner organizations, and we were happy to see that some of IPSI's suggestions were included in the document. Readers are encouraged to look at the document and if appropriate provide any further views to ensure that IPSI's vision of realizing societies in harmony with nature through SEPLS-based approaches is represented in the framework.

The full notification, including instructions on how to submit views, can be found on the CBD website here.

2019 JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme

UNU-IAS, host of the IPSI Secretariat, is now accepting applications for the JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. Jointly organised by UNU-IAS and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship programme provides promising, highly qualified, young researchers with the opportunity to conduct advanced research relevant to the main thematic focus areas of the institute. The UNU-IAS International Satoyama Initiative project is one of the programmes eligible for applications this year, so this could be a good opportunity for some readers in the IPSI community. Applications close 15 March, 2019, and must be submitted via the UNU-IAS online application form.

Please visit the UNU-IAS site on this page for further details.

Recent Case Study: Greenglobe Ghana

The IPSI Secretariat recently received a case study from partner organization Greenglobe Ghana, titled "Conserving Biodiversity and Livelihood Enhancement: the case of Saviefe Communities on the Weto Landscape in Ghana".

The Weto Landscape, a world classified biodiversity hotspot has been realized to be losing its natural resources as a result of unsustainable use, hence the need for activities towards resilience. Forests have disappeared. The mountain range contains several animal species which are becoming endangered and scarce, land has degraded, and virtually little concerted resource management action through livelihood activities as well as feeble authoritative action concerning resource use prevails. In response to the Weto landscape resilience call by the COMDEKS Project, an IPSI collaborative activity implemented by UNDP through the GEF Small Grants Programme, Greenglobe Ghana, an environmental organization proposed and implemented initiatives that demonstrated livelihood support with integrating biological, indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity in the landscape communities under the working topic, “Livelihood Promotion and Institutional Building for Natural Resource Management.”

For more information, please see the full write-up of the case study on the IPSI website here.

Contact

Please be sure to let the Secretariat know if there are any changes in your e-mail address or contact information.

Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative
5–53–70 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925
Japan

Tel: +81 3-5467-1212
Fax: +81 3-3499-2828

Email: isi@unu.edu

If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to SUBSCRIBE, you can do so on the IPSI website here.