Trondheim: Countdown 2010 partner city hosts high-level conference on biodiversity
29 October 2007. Trondheim, Norway. The Fifth Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity opened with a clear commitment from the city of Trondheim to the 2010 biodiversity target. Ms. Rita Ottervik, Mayor of Trondheim, signed the Countdown 2010 declaration in the presence of, among others, Ms. Heidi Sørensen, Norway’s State Secretary of Environment, Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Countdown 2010 Secretariat was represented by IUCN’s Chief Scientist, Jeffrey McNeely.
Until Friday, participants at Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity discuss options for the road to 2010 and beyond, in particular with respect to the contribution of biodiversity to the fight against poverty. Since 1993, the conference, taking place on an annual basis, provides an opportunity for policy makers, managers and scientists to have an open and constructive dialogue on key issues being discussed under the Convention on Biological Diversity. This year’s outcome will shape the next concrete steps being taken internationally towards the 2010 biodiversity target.
Trondheim’s accession to Countdown 2010 set an example for other representatives to take local action towards the 2010 biodiversity target. By signing the Countdown 2010 declaration, the city of Trondheim became part of Countdown 2010’s network of local and regional authorities. So far, 66 local and regional authorities (cities, regional governments, municipalities) have joined the initiative, including cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, and Zagreb. In order to contribute to the 2010 biodiversity target, Trondheim committed to specific biodiversity related activities, such as the restoration of urban creeks, the reduction of pollution from drainage, the restoration and management of cultural landscapes as well as the communication of the project results to the international community. These tasks will support projects the city is carrying out as a partner of a Nordic Council initiative “Local contribution to meet the 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity”. Based on its “Action Plan for the Natural Environment in the Trondheim Municipality”, the city has identified some priority areas it will be working on in the future. The commitments contained in the Action Plan range from green open spaces and the conservation of biodiversity in build-up areas, to forest management, cultural landscapes and marine and coastal ecosystems.
