Saving biodiversity: we know how!
1 July 2010. Today Countdown 2010 will bring the biodiversity message to participants at the European Youth Perspective Conference on Biodiversity Conservation (YouPEC) in Geel, Belgium to inspire the leaders of tomorrow on biodiversity action. The aim of the conference is to produce recommendations for EU biodiversity policy.
On 1 July, Ms Alison Coleman, IUCN Regional Communications Officer will present IUCN’s Countdown 2010 initiative and the actions of its more than 1,000 partners who joined the initiative to contribute to tackling the causes of biodiversity loss.
“Although we now know that biodiversity loss will not be halted by the end of 2010, Countdown 2010 partners’ actions all over the world are examples of how to help conserve biodiversity on the ground. Their concrete efforts can serve as inspiration for more action to be taken after 2010. I hope that the people present at the event will use this experience in their future choices and actions” says Ms Coleman.
On 2 July, Mr Ignace Schops, founder of the National Park Hoge Kempen and Countdown 2010 Ambassador will talk about recreation and nature conservation as a synergetic combination.
The outcome of the conference will be the formulation of the Youth Perspective on Biodiversity Conservation, which will be presented to the European Commission on 5 July in Brussels. This declaration will formulate policy recommendations for the European Union and will call for ambitious biodiversity policies that can guarantee a sustainable future for European youth.
2010 is not only the International Year of Biodiversity as proclaimed by the United Nations, but also the last year to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity Target. Governments have failed to halt the loss of biodiversity and YouPEC young participants will express their views and recommendations on EU policy priorities for the post-2010 period. The conference will start at the same time as the Belgian Presidency of the European Union – a crucial moment for young Europeans to urge Belgium to prioritize biodiversity on the European and international agenda.
The conference is organized by the JNM (Flemish Youth Association for Nature and Environment) from 1 to 6 July and will bring together 150 young Europeans from 30 different countries.
- More information on the European Youth Perspective Conference on Biodiversity
- JNM-Jeugdbond voor Natuur en Milieu on Countdown 2010 website
