Date: Wed 27 April 2022

Time: Brazil 9:00 – 10:40 / CEST 15:00 – 16:40 / Japan 22:00-23:40

UNU-IAS will organise an online seminar exploring the nexus of biodiversity, health, and well-being, with a focus on social and economic drivers in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS). The seminar will have two thematic sessions, focused on Health and Biodiversity and Building Back Better from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The event will present the results of a survey conducted by the Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) on the challenges and opportunities facing IPSI members and the SEPLS communities during the COVID-19 crisis. Participants will share updates on the status of their communities, and discuss future initiatives and potential themes for the new IPSI Plan of Action (PoA) to strengthen resilience in SEPLS. The webinar will also promote good practices to implement nexus approaches such as the One Health framework for recovery from COVID-19.

Background

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the interconnectedness of biodiversity and health, and demonstrated that human well-being is critically dependent on a balanced relationship between the two. The pandemic has also brought to the forefront social inequities, especially in terms of economic impact and recovery. At the same time, the future of our planet continues to be challenged amid accelerating biodiversity loss and ecosystem deterioration.

The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) is a global effort to realise societies in harmony with nature, for which UNU-IAS serves as the secretariat. Through the revitalisation and sustainable management of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), IPSI members work together to build a just and sustainable future for people and the planet.

Participation

To participate online please register in advance. Zoom link

Language

The event will be conducted in English.

Programme

All times are JST

MC: Bruno Leles (Partnership Associate, UNU-IAS)

22: 00 Opening Remarks

Tsunao Watanabe (Director of the IPSI Secretariat, UNU-IAS)

22:10 Session 1 – Health and Biodiversity

Moderator: Bruno Leles (Partnership Associate, UNU-IAS)

• Cristina Romanelli (Programme Officer, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Health, WHO)
• Evonne Yiu (Former Researcher, UNU-IAS)
• Q&A, Discussion
  • IPSI commentator: Rosman Bin Abd Ghani (Director, TZR Technology)

22:50 Session 2 – Building Back Better from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Moderator: Suneetha Subramanian (Research Fellow, UNU-IAS)

• Paul Dale (International Affairs Advisor, Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment, Government of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• Maurizio Farhan Ferrari (Senior Policy Adviser on Environmental Governance, Forest Peoples Programme)
• Q&A, Discussion
  • IPSI commentator: Chemuku Wekesa (Research Scientist, Kenya Forestry Research Institute)

23: 30 Wrap-up and closing remarks