The IPSI Secretariat at the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) co-organised an online session on “The Satoyama Initiative, transformative change, and societies in harmony with nature” on 12 November 2020 during the International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP) 2020, with support of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The session addressed how the concept of SEPLS, as promoted under the Satoyama Initiative, can contribute to transformative change towards the vision of “societies in harmony with nature”, particularly considering impending new realities in the post-COVID-19 era. The IPSI Secretariat’s Research Fellow Maiko Nishi delivered a presentation on “Lessons learned from managing SEPLS and their implications for transformative change in the post-COVID19 era”, and Senior Communications Coordinator William Dunbar moderated discussion to consolidate lessons on the SEPLS concept and its relevance for the post-COVID-19 era, as well as implications for the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

More details, including a full video stream of the event, can be found on the ISAP2020 website here.