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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 information on IPSI-related activities at the upcoming CBD COP 13 in Cancun, plus some of the outcomes of the recent 11th IPSI Steering Committee meeting, held in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. IPSI is very pleased to welcome 12 new members and to endorse 6 new collaborative activities. We also have news of the publication of the latest volume of the "Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review", and reports from the 18th Taipei International Birdwatching Fair held in Chinese Taipei and three recent events around Japan: the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity; the Hokusetsu Satoyama International Seminar; and the First Capacity Building Workshop on Nature-Culture Linkages in Heritage Conservation in Asia and the Pacific.
We also have a report of a recent case study received from the Commemorative Foundation for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan, 1990 (Expo ‘90 Foundation). 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
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IPSI Activities at CBD COP 13
The Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 13) will be held from 4-17 December 2016 in Cancun, Mexico. The COP meeting is the major biennial event of the governing body of the CBD, and the IPSI Secretariat looks forward to taking part in the meeting and collaborating with many IPSI members and friends.
The IPSI Secretariat itself is planning to hold two side events: one at 13:15 on Tuesday, 6 December on "Strategic Action for Mainstreaming Biodiversity: Contributions of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) to Biodiversity and Human Well-Being"; and another at 18:15 on Thursday, 8 December on "Contributions of funding mechanisms under the Satoyama Initiative to mainstreaming biodiversity for well-being". We will also have a display booth in the CEPA Fair section, and will take part in other events held concurrently and back-to-back with the COP meeting.
We are sure that many readers will be attending and holding activities at CBD COP 13. Please contact the Secretariat and let us know about your plans, so that we as a partnership can make the most of this major event and work toward mainstreaming the concepts of the Satoyama Initiative in important international policymaking processes. We look forward to seeing many of you there.
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IPSI Welcomes 12 New Members
We are pleased to announce that at its meeting in November 2016, the IPSI Steering Committee confirmed 12 new member organizations, bringing IPSI’s total membership to 202 organizations. It is therefore our pleasure to welcome:
• Association for the Sustainable Development of Rural San Jose – ADESSARU (Costa Rica)
• AGRUCO – University of San Simón (Bolivia)
• Associazione Grani Antichi (Ancient Grains Association) Montespertoli (Italy)
• Dahari (Comoros)
• Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan (Chinese Taipei)
• Fundacion para la Promocion del Conocimiento Indigena (Panama)
• Green Islands Foundation (Seychelles)
• HATOF Foundation (Ghana)
• Ny Tanintsika (Madagascar)
• Royal Society for Protection of Nature (Bhutan)
• TZR Technology (Malaysia)
• Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation (Chinese Taipei)
The new members, in addition to being involved in valuable projects in their own right, also help to increase IPSI’s presence by expanding our membership around the world, particularly in Latin America – partially as a result of increased attention being paid to the region since the Satoyama Initiative Regional Workshop in Peru held in and around Cusco, Peru in June 2016. We look forward to collaborating closely with all of them in promoting the concept of the Satoyama Initiative in the future.
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6 New IPSI Collaborative Activities Endorsed
IPSI Collaborative Activities are activities carried out by at least two IPSI members (possibly in collaboration with other organizations), and approved as such by the IPSI Steering Committee. At its its meeting in November 2016, the IPSI Steering Committee approved the proposals for 6 new IPSI Collaborative Activities, bringing the total number of IPSI Collaborative Activities to 40.
The new activities are:
• Mobile technology for community-driven aquatic biodiversity monitoring in Ewaso Ng'iro Catchment, Kenya - by Kenya Wetlands Biodiversity Research Group (KENWEB) and Conservation Solutions Afrika
• Building sustainable and resilient village economies based on agroforestry forest fruit garden systems and 'fair trade carbon farming' offsets - by Kathmandu Forestry College (KAFCOL) and Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Nepal
• Production of publication series “Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review” - by United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
• Integrated project of enhancing ecoagriculture and sustainable development of rural Taiwan through international cooperation - by Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Council of Agriculture, Taiwan (HDARES) and National Dong-Hwa University (NDHU)
• Community integrated management of migratory species (West African manatee and sea turtles) and their habitat in the coastal region in Benin - by Nature Tropical and A Rocha Ghana
• Research on development and implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) toward realization of societies in harmony with nature - by Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), The University of Tokyo and United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
We look forward to providing more information on the individual activities as it becomes available.
IPSI members are encouraged to propose any activities carried out in collaboration with other members as IPSI Collaborative Activities. This is a great opportunity to gain more attention for your activities and to improve IPSI’s functioning as a partnership, as well as to improve SEPLS management through knowledge sharing. Please contact the IPSI Secretariat if you have any activities that may be potential IPSI Collaborative Activities.
More information on IPSI Collaborative Activities is available on the IPSI website here.
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New Publication: Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review Vol. 2
A new volume of the Satoyama Initiative Thematic Review (vol. 2) with the theme: “Mainstreaming concepts and approaches of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) into policy and decision-making” was recently published jointly by UNU-IAS and IGES. The volume compiles seven selected case studies provided by authors belonging to IPSI member organizations and covers diverse dimensions of mainstreaming including advocacy, multi-stakeholder engagement, facilitation and coordination of institutions, tools and information useful for policymakers and stakeholders. In addition, the volume includes a synthesis chapter that summarizes the findings of the case studies and provides overarching principles for mainstreaming for policy makers and practitioners working on the ground.
The publication will provide useful knowledge and lessons for a broad audience including policymakers, practitioners and academics working on issues related to SEPLS and interested in their wide-scale application and policy incorporation.
The publication will be launched at a side event at CBD COP 13 in Cancun, Mexico on 6 December 2016, organized by UNU-IAS and the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
The electronic version is available for download here.
A Call for Papers will be sent out soon for vol. 3, so please consider submitting your case studies at that time.
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18th Taipei International Birdwatching Fair - “Into Satoyama: Societies in Harmony with Nature”
The 18th Taipei International Birdwatching Fair was held for two days, 22 and 23 Oct. at Guandu Nature Park, Chinese Taipei, with a great focus on issues closely related to SEPLS and the Satoyama Initiative. IPSI Secretariat staff in attendance were very pleased to see many IPSI members from Chinese Taipei present, including representatives from National Dong-Hwa University, Society for Wildlife and Nature (SWAN) International, Taiwan Ecological Engineering Development Foundation (EEDF), Environmental Ethics Foundation of Taiwan (EEFT), and Hualian District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (HDARES), plus one of the leaders of the event and one of IPSI's newest members, the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture. These organizations are key in the formation of the new Taiwan Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative, whose formation is an IPSI collaborative activity and is partially funded by SDM.
In addition to the fair itself with many interesting presentations related to SEPLS as well as, of course, birds, Secretariat staff were invited to a seminar by the Forestry Bureau on the importance of satoyama landscapes in Japan, plus an excursion held by EEFT to the Gongliao Terraced Paddy Fields, the subject of their IPSI case study.
For more information on the event (in Chinese), please see the event website here.
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1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity
The "1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity" was held on 27-29 October 2016 in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, co-organized by IPSI members UNESCO, the Secretariat of Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), United Nations University and Ishikawa Prefectural Government, along with Nanao City.
Many IPSI members and friends, including the IPSI Secretariat, were represented at the conference. The programme included thematic meetings on “Policy Coordination for the Promotion of Biological and Cultural Diversity”, “Sustainable and Equitable Use of Biocultural Resources and Capacity Building” and “Biocultural Approaches for Sustainable Development of Internationally Designated Areas”.
There were also a number of panel discussions, high-level talk sessions, and keynote and other addresses from visiting dignitaries including Executive Secreatary of SCBD Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of UNESCO Ms. Flavia Schlagel, Senior Visiting Professor of UNU-IAS Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture Mr. Masanori Tanimoto and others. The final day provided participants with excursions to see many of the features of biocultural diversity in the area.
One aim of the conference was to endorse and promulgate the "Ishikawa Declaration on Biocultural Diversity", which includes guidance and recommendations, and will be presented as a major outcome at CBD COP 13 in Cancun, Mexico in December. The Ishikawa Declaration contains text encouraging parties toward "...further elaboration and dissemination of the cases, policies and concepts presented at the 1st Asian Conference on Biocultural Diversity...through mutual learning platforms such as the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative...", so we are honored to be recognized in this important document.
For more information on the conference, please see the official website here.
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Hokusetsu Satoyama International Seminar
The 2016 Hokusetsu Satoyama International Seminar was held on 28 October in Takurazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, organized by IPSI members the Hokusetsu Satoyama Museum Steering Council and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) along with the Hyogo Prefecture Hanshinkita Administrative Office and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN).
The seminar featured speakers giving their perspectives on satoyama landscapes locally, as well as international perspectives from other parts of Asia and the world, including a presentation from Dr. William Olupot of IPSI Steering Committee member Nature and Livelihoods in Uganda. Many members of the IPSI Steering Committee were present because of the 11th Steering Committee meeting held concurrently, and were able to see a lot of the surrounding satoyama landscapes thanks to excursions planned through the kind generosity of the seminar organizers.
For more information on the seminar, please see the APN website here.
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First Capacity Building Workshop on Nature-Culture Linkages in Heritage Conservation in Asia and the Pacific: "Agricultural Landscapes"
The First Capacity Building Workshop on Nature-Culture Linkages in Heritage Conservation in Asia and the Pacific (CBWNCL) took place in Tsukuba, Japan, from September 17th to 30th, 2016. The workshop was organized by the University of Tsukuba, with the collaboration of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICCROM, IUCN and ICOMOS.
Several of the participants in the workshop were related to IPSI or from IPSI members including the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Agriculture in Chinese Taipei and Conservation Alliance in Ghana. Guest lectures were also included in the curriculum from Mr. William Dunbar of the IPSI Secretariat, longtime IPSI collaborator Ms. Jessica Brown of the New England Bolas Foundation and IUCN WCPA, Mr. Yoshihiko Iida of UNU-IAS OUIK, and other IPSI friends.
More information will be available on the University of Tsukuba website here.
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Recent Case Studies: The Commemorative Foundation for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan, 1990 (Expo ‘90 Foundation)
The IPSI Secretariat recently received a case study from partner organization the Commemorative Foundation for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan, 1990 (Expo ‘90 Foundation), titled "To leave the satoyama culture for the future using Sakihama as an example".This study examined how the Japanese landscape "satoyama" culture has been and is being passed on to future generations in the Sakihama district of Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan through literature searches, on-site investigations, and interviews.
While this study found serious damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March, 2011 and the associated tsunami, through which many valuable assets were lost, it was encouraging to learn that people have started to resume passing on and restoring the culture and blessings of mountains, villages and the ocean. The history and culture that have been passed down through the strong connection of mountains, villages, and the ocean are valuable regional resources. In this study, the researchers realized that it is important to carry out and improve activities to connect spaces with spaces, people with people, and the past with the present to pass on the valuable satoyama culture.
For more information, please see the full write-up of the case study on the IPSI website here.
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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.
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