DEAR COUNTDOWN 2010 PARTNERS, DEAR READERS |
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Did you know that there are more than 350 tropical, temperate and polar islands in the European Union? And did you know that in the last 400 years, 75% of all species extinctions have been on islands?
This newsletter will allow you to find out more about EU Overseas Entities.
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FEATURE |
EU Overseas Entities: havens of biodiversity |
The 28 European Union Overseas Entities (OEs) cover a land area of 4.4 million km2, equivalent in size to continental Europe, and a combined Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 15 million km2 – the largest EEZ globally. They range from small islands to large stretches of land and are located across all major oceans of the globe from tropical to polar latitudes.
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Protecting biodiversity in EU OEs |
IUCN attaches special importance to the conservation of biodiversity in overseas territories.
In 2008, IUCN together with the French government and the Regional Council of the Island of La Reunion convened the first conference on EU Overseas Entities. The Conference brought together governments, the European Commission, experts, and civil society to develop a plan of action to address biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change. The Message of La Reunion proposed a series of concrete actions to protect OEs’ biodiversity, their economies and way of life.
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Regional Cooperation in the Caribbean |
Of the 28 Overseas Entities under European Union jurisdiction, 14 are found in the Caribbean. They are dependencies of the UK, France and the Netherlands.
The IUCN Caribbean Initiative commenced activities in 2009. The initiative is an important first step for establishing a coherent region-wide footprint and program offering.
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What should the EU do? A perspective from OCTA |
While linked to the EU but not part of it, OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) only represent an infinitesimal part of EU initiatives. Until recently the rich biodiversity, and vulnerability of OCTs to climate change was not acknowledged and the urgency to act in these territories was not targeted or addressed in EU policies. The consensus on the vulnerability to climate change, already acknowledged in the case of small island states, has led to a new dialogue between OCTs and the EU.
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> Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA)
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DO IT YOURSELF |
Bring biodiversity to the table |
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What is the impact on biodiversity of the choices you make for your diet? How can these choices help protect nature?
The vegetarian restaurant Bem-me-quer in Portugal launched a project aiming to show that a simple dish can contain millions of years of species evolution. The project, titled “Biodiversidade à Mesa – como proteger Natureza com faca e garfo” (Biodiversity at the table – how to protect Nature with the fork and knife), is inspired by rural development models, nature conservation, eco-entrepreneuring, and communication.
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STATE OF BIODIVERSITY
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A baseline for measuring progress |
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Europe’s failure to halt biodiversity loss by 2010 was partly caused by gaps in available knowledge about the state of biodiversity in Europe and the absence of easily quantifiable targets.
The Biodiversity Baseline launched at Green Week by the European Environment Agency (EEA) is intended to solve these problems and provide policymakers with a starting point for measuring the state of biodiversity inside the EU and unveiling major information gaps. It provides a framework for articulating linkages between species numbers, habitats status and ecosystem services, and uses facts and figures that are scientifically robust and have been validated and/or peer reviewed in the Member States.
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FOCUS ON |
Youth guidebook on sustainability by AEGEE
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The European Students’ Forum AEGEE – the first youth organisation to join Countdown 2010 – recently published the "Youth’s Eye on Sustainability" guidebook which sums up the main outcomes of the organization’s flagship project "Sustaining our Future".
The booklet gives an overview of the activities organised in the frame of the project and their results, and gives extra information on different aspects of sustainability and the role young people can play in it. The activities concern: ecotourism, sustainable universities, organising green events, waste management, and more. The booklet is free for downloading at www.aegee.org/sustaining.
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TOWARDS A NEW BIODIVERSITY TARGET |
Investing in biodiversity is not a luxury |
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Now is the opportune time for the European Union to take the lead in biodiversity conservation. The conference on “European biodiversity in a global context” highlighted that the EU needs to speak with one voice at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) in October. Critical issues such as financing, indicators, setting appropriate sub targets, and the mainstreaming of biodiversity policy need to be addressed to ensure a successful outcome in Nagoya.
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LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES |
TEEB for local and regional policy: give your input |
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The TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) study is interested in the experience and opinion of local and regional administrators. Answering the following questions should take no more than ten minutes and would help the study to better decide what examples and methods to include.
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23-27 August 2010
7th SER European Conference on Ecological Restoration
(Avignon, France)
6-8 September 2010
BiodiverCities2010
(Paris, France)
8-9 September 2010
Biodiversity post 2010: Biodiversity in a changing world
(Ghent, Belgium)
12-20 September 2010
BIODIVERSITY: Know to Protect
(Gondomar, Portugal)
15-17 September 2010
The End of Tradition?
(Sheffield, United Kingdom)
20-24 September 2010
Global Expert Workshop on Biodiversity Benefits of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
(Nairobi, Kenya)
22 September 2010
United Nations General Assembly – High-Level Segment on Biodiversity
(New York, USA)
22-23 September 2010
Living with biodiversity: people, knowledge, politics
(Leiden, Netherlands)
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