High Level Conference on Business & Biodiversity

Conference - 12-13 November 2007 - Lisbon

On the road to Lisbon — Less than a week from now, more than 400 business leaders, biodiversity experts, NGOs and policy makers will gather in Lisbon to chart ways towards a European Business and Biodiversity Initiative, working towards better responsibility schemes, partnerships, assessments and markets. The resulting Message from Lisbon will contribute to the 2010 targets of making the EU the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy and of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.

You are receiving this email as one of the invitees and speakers to the conference. This newsletter will give you the latest updates about the programme, point you to important background information and guide you through your stay in Portugal.

Please have a look at the recently published background documents to the four workshop sessions. The documents analyze the relationship between business and biodiversity, focusing on partnerships, assessments, markets and responsibility schemes .

In a discussion paper, the European Commission as one of the co-organizers of the conference proposes cornerstones for an EU Business and Biodiversity Initiative.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to direct them to the Conference Secretariat at + 351 21 771 26 34; fax: +351 21 771 26 39; icnb@leading.pt).

Newsletter 2
7th of November, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The EU Business and Biodiversity Initiative beyond the Lisbon Conference

Europe needs a partnership for Business and Biodiversity, argues the European Commission in their background paper to the Lisbon Conference on Business and Biodiversity. Such a partnership should adhere to ten principles, including:

  1. it should deliver tangible results for biodiversity protection;
  2. actions should be of a voluntary nature;
  3. it recognizes the importance of business good practices to reduce the rate of biodiversity decline and the value of biodiversity for sustainable entrepreneurial activity.

Read the background paper for the EU Business and Biodiversity Initiative

" One of the key measures to halt biodiversity decline is the building of more effective partnerships, including partnerships with Business both at the level of the EU and in the Member States "
- European Commission

 

Workshop Background Papers

The background papers for the four workshops have been published. Please download your copy from the conference website.

"The challenge is to re-orient the economic incentives that drive private investment, production and consumption, and to make biodiversity conservation a viable business proposition in its own right."

C: Markets for biodiversity goods & services

The Conference Venue: The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

The conference venue is worth a visit on its own right. Presenting the private collection of oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, the museum contains magnificient pieces of Egyptian, European, Greek, Roman, Islamic, and Asian art. One of the highlights is an Egyptian gold mummy mask. Greek and Roman coins and statuary, Chinese porcelain, Japanese prints, and a set of rich 16th- and 17th-century Persian tapestries follow. The European art section has pieces from all the major schools from the 15th through the 20th century. Two temporary exhibitions highlight Religion in Ancient Greece and Treasures from the Benaki Museum in Athens.

Preparing for your stay in Lisbon

Getting around
A welcome desk will greet all conference participants arriving at the airport and provide them with transport information. A taxi from the airport into the city center costs around 15 EUR. Aerobus 91 will take you directly to your hotel for around 3 EUR.

The easiest way to get around in Lisbon is via Metro. For the conference venue, take the blue line to S. Sebastião or Praça de Espanha. A single ticket costs 0,75 EUR, a day pass costs 3,35 EUR.

Taxis in Lisbon are beige colored and offer reasonable prices to get around. Télétaxi (+351 (0) 21/811-1100).

Around the conference venue
A map of the surroundings of the conference venue and your hotel is available on the conference website.

The cafeterias of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundations offer soup, salads and other meals for lunch. In addition, a selection of restaurants will welcome conference participants in the direct vicinity.

The conference dinner on Monday evening will take place in Lisbon’s gorgeous Museu da Água. A shuttle bus service from the hotels is provided. If you haven’t signed up for the dinner yet, you can still do so at Registration.

Wireless internet is available throughout the Conference Venue for a small fee. In addition, free internet stations are provided for conference participants.

Registration
The registration desk for the conference opens at 08:15 on Monday morning. Coffee is provided until the start of the Opening Plenary. The conference help desk is available throughout the conference to assist you with any arising problems.

" The environment can less and less be portrayed as an economic constraint. It is becoming an economic imperative. "
- Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director

Facts and Figures: High Level Conference on Business & Biodiversity 

When?
12-13 November 2007

Where?
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (map)
Av. de Berna, 45A
1067-001 Lisbon, Portugal

Who?
More than four hundred business leaders, biodiversity experts, NGOs and policy makers are expected to attend.

What?

  • High level plenaries on ‘European biodiversity commitments & business’ and on sectoral challenges;
  • Business Roundtables providing best practice examples and views from the private sector and
  • Workshops on Responsibility Schemes; Biodiversity Assessments; Markets for biodiversity goods & services and Partnerships.

The programme is available on http://countdown2010.net/business

The conference is co-organized by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Countdown 2010 and the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade, in cooperation with the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council and the European Commission.

" I am convinced that the private sector has an essential role to play in promoting sustainable agriculture and the reduction of poverty and hunger. "
- Martin Taylor, Chairman of the Board, Syngenta

http://countdown2010.net/business

For enquires or more information, the Conference Secretariat can be reached on tel: + 351 21 771 26 34; fax: +351 21 771 26 39; icnb@leading.pt; http://countdown2010.net/business