IPSI Newsletter, August 2019

2019.08.13

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 updated information on the upcoming Eighth IPSI Global Conference (IPSI-8) and the Expert Thematic Workshop on Landscape Approaches for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be held in September. Please register if you would like to attend the Public Forum (see below). We also have an announcement of an upcoming symposium on the Satoyama Initiative in Chinese Taipei, a report from a recent workshop for the research project on integrated landscape approaches and NBSAPs, and an announcement of an external review of the IPBES Values Assessment. Finally, we are pleased to introduce one of IPSI's newest members, the Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance at the University of the Philippines Los Baňos, and a recent case study received from the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau in Chinese Taipei.
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


Public Forum registration open: IPSI-8 and Expert Thematic Workshop on Landscape Approaches for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

As previously announced, the Eighth IPSI Global Conference (IPSI-8) will be held 2-3 September 2019 in Kumamoto, Japan. This time, the Global Conference will be held back-to-back with an Expert Thematic Workshop on Landscape Approaches for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which the IPSI Secretariat at UNU-IAS is organizing in coordination with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, and the Kumamoto Prefectural Government from 3 to 6 September. For more details, please see the event page on the IPSI website here.
A Public Forum will be held as a joint event between IPSI-8 and the Expert Thematic Workshop, titled "Socio-ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes for Biodiversity Conservation", on 4 September from 14:30 to 17:30 in Hotel Mielparque Kumamoto.
The Public Forum aims to inform the general public about landscape issues and encourage discussion of landscape approaches, production landscapes and seascapes, and biodiversity conservation. The Forum will showcase international and local experiences of SEPLS, and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) conservation in Kumamoto.
The Public Forum is open to the general public. If you would like to attend, please register here.

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Satoyama

International Symposium "Implementing the Satoyama Initiative for the Benefit of Biodiversity and Human Well-being"

This symposium will be held 17-19 September at the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (HDARES) in Ji'an Township, Hualien County, Chinese Taipei. It is organized by IPSI member the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region (FFTC), in collaboration with HDARES, the Forestry Bureau, the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and the IPSI Secretariat. This symposium seeks to engage researchers and staff who are involved in the research and application of Satoyama Initiative, including representatives of the IPSI Secretariat and IPSI members both local and international. Experts will share experiences on rural communities’ environmental improvement and rural resource management, and how to use rural resources for balancing economic needs and environmental protection, providing an opportunity to share these concepts, knowledge, and experiences with the public.
For more information, including registration information, see the FFTC website here.


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Workshop on implementing integrated approaches in production landscapes and seascapes in NBSAPs

On 25 and 26 July 2019, the IPSI Secretariat at UNU-IAS and The University of Tokyo Institute for Future Initiatives (UT-IFI) held an international workshop entitled “Implementing integrated approaches in production landscapes and seascapes in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)” at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
This workshop was part of an IPSI Collaborative Activity joint research project between UNU-IAS and UT-IFI on mainstreaming integrated approaches in production landscapes and seascapes into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to help CBD Parties achieve their biodiversity goals and fulfill their international commitments. Policy administrators and researchers from CBD Parties Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Guinea, and Sri Lanka – IPSI member and other countries identified for their inclusion of integrated landscape management in their NBSAPs in some form – plus experts from academia and non-governmental organizations, got together to discuss policy processes, challenges and opportunities in implementation of national policy.
Workshop outcomes are being compiled, and will be published in the final report of the research project, with plans ongoing to develop a manual as a technical guide for policymakers and to share key findings into the process of developing the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.


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First external review now open for the IPBES values assessment

It was recently announced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) that the external review for the first order drafts of the chapters of the IPBES methodological assessment regarding the diverse conceptualization of multiple values of nature and its contributions, including biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services has begun. According to IPBES, this assessment builds on previous work done by IPBES and other initiatives in connection to values and valuation of nature and its contributions to people. The values assessment aspires to provide the most robust knowledge available to date on the role of values and valuation to understanding the past, present and possible futures in connection to decision-making, including policy making.
The period for the first external review is from 29 July until 22 September 2019. IPSI members and other readers with relevant expertise are encouraged to take part in the review. To register, please see the IPBES website here.


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New Member Introduction: Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, College of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baňos

The Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance was created in its current form through a reorganization in 1998, in order to broaden the concerns of the Forestry Extension Office and the Department of Social Forestry to include the domain of politics and administration of forestry and natural resources. As a pioneering institution in the interdisciplinary and collaborative research in the field of forestry, the Department takes the lead in educating quality and committed partners in forestry conservation and sustainable development. While advancing the frontier of knowledge in social forestry and forest governance through its instruction, research, and extension functions, the Department also seeks to enhance the capabilities of people, communities, and institutions through participatory rural development approaches. Its mission is to advance social forestry and forest governance and enhance the capability of people, communities, and institutions in the sustainable development of forests and natural resources, and its vision is to be a center of excellence in social forestry and forest governance and a leader in the promotion of social equity, participation, and forest sustainability and natural resources. To achieve this, the Department's objectives are:
  • To develop professional leadership in the promotion of social forestry and forest governance as a strategy to advance sustainable natural resource development; and
  • To disseminate research results through publication and information exchanges.
For more information, please visit the College of Forestry and Natural Resources' website here.


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Recent Case Study: Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Chinese Taipei

The IPSI Secretariat recently received a case study from partner organization the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau (SWCB) of Chinese Taipei, titled “Taking care of the elderly as the core of rural transformation in Shangde community, Taitung, Taiwan”. According to the case study, Shangde was once a prosperous village in Taitung, in the east of the island of Taiwan, with over 2,000 residents growing high-priced lemongrass and manufacturing products of citronella oil. However, following a stunning drop in the market and price of natural citronella oil due to the rise of synthesized chemicals since 1967, many residents gave up local agriculture and left in the 1980s, which resulted in a sharp decline of population to less than 200. Other socio-economic consequences in Shangde included deceasing income from farming, young people leaving to find jobs in the cities, further abandonment of agricultural land, and an aging community. However, starting in 2011, a group of young people decided to revitalize this rural community by taking care of the elderly and involving them into eco-friendly farming and production of high-priced crops, e.g. aromatic herbs, based on their physical strength. Such practices not only help improve the health condition of the elderly and increase their income, but also bring social cohesiveness in the community. In addition, by maintaining the farmland for agricultural use, promoting eco-friendly farming, producing high-priced crops, and raising the value of the product, the community has attracted more youngsters to join force in reviving its SEPLS.
For more information, please see the full write-up of the case study on the IPSI website


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.