June 2021 - Events at Global Landscapes Forum

Kenya national landscape restoration scaling conference: Catalyzing action for landscape restoration

The Government of Kenya pledged to restore 5.1 million hectares of land in the country by 2030 under the African Forest and Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and Bonn Challenge. The government has set a target of 10% tree cover for the country.

Efforts are underway in different sectors including environment, forestry, conservation and agriculture to achieve this ambition.

Join the conversation on how we can collectively accelerate the momentum of landscape restoration in Kenya by bringing together and linking multiple dimensions of the efforts.

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Global Action – Local Interaction

Working from Bonn side-by-side with the United Nations (UN), the BINGOs, the Bonn International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are adding content and increasing the impact of Bonn as an important hub for global issues. Sustainable urban development, sustainable forestry and agriculture, Paralympic sports or sustainable energy: the range of topics is diverse, while all are pursuing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

In the light of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, our event in the context of #UNBonn25 will address sustainable landscapes, agriculture and fair consumption. By showcasing the goals and work of three exemplary organizations, the links between landscape, agriculture and fair consumption are highlighted. And, because the BINGOs are well connected locally, options to engage are manifold.

With interviews and contributions by:

Tina Birmpili, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Melissa Duncan, Executive Director, Fairtrade International
John Colmey, Managing Director, Global Landscapes Forum, CIFOR-ICRAF
Thomas Cierpka, Senior Manager, IFOAM – Organics International

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Seizing the Potential of Non-State Actors for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

As countries are preparing to agree upon a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework during the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in October 2021, non-state and sub-national actors, such as cities, regions and companies, are increasingly drawing attention to their contribution to biodiversity governance. Non-state and sub-national actors set up standards and commitments, develop and share knowledge, provide funding and execute projects on the ground. Bringing non-state initiatives closer to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and involving these actors in global biodiversity governance has the potential to build positive political and societal momentum around global biodiversity conservation, foster innovative and experimental governance arrangements and break current gridlocks to enable countries to take more ambitious biodiversity goals. To provide more visibility to the contributions of non-state actors, COP14 in Sharm El Sheikh in 2018 saw the launch of the Action Agenda for Nature and People in the run up to COP15. A current consultation process led by the CBD Secretariat aims to explore how the Action Agenda should develop after the new global biodiversity framework is adopted. In light of the important contributions non-state actors can make to implementing the new framework, it will be key to identify what form such voluntary commitments for biodiversity should take and how the Action Agenda could become a meaningful pillar in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

To address these questions, the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, supported by adelphi, is organizing a series of events to facilitate discussion among a selected group of experts. The three session will discuss the role of non-state and subnational actors in the run up to Open Ended Working Group 3 and COP15 with respect to non-state action at landscape level; climate and biodiversity action in the urban context; and monitoring and reporting of non-state action. The sessions will be held under Chatham House rules.

Session I: “Seizing the Landscape Opportunity to Catalyse Transformative Biodiversity Governance”

The first session focuses on how the GBF can more actively include a landscape perspective, particularly speaking to non-state and subnational actors involved in landscape level initiatives. The session shares insights from a recent policy brief by PBL on the topic, it invites reflections and comments by key experts in the field and allows for a broader discussion in plenary. The plenary discussion will focus on strengthening the links between the GBF and non-state and subnational action at landscape level as well as on how the Action Agenda could promote landscape initiatives and attain more strategic importance in the GBF.

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UBC Forestry Virtual Summer Camp

Forests provide multiple ecosystem functions and services that are invaluable for human wellbeing. Yet, the world’s remaining forests are under increasing pressure due to human activities and climate change. In this virtual summer camp, students will learn theoretical and practical knowledge about the criteria and indicators that are being used worldwide to guide sustainable forest management practices and explain how these will vary in a changing climate. Students will watch online lecture videos, live interactive discussions with the world’s renowned professors and experts, and conduct group discussions with global peers during the four weeks. To translate knowledge into practice, students will have various hands-on experience ranges from analyzing case studies to evaluating sustainable forest management worldwide using globally used criteria and indicators.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Explain the principles of sustainable forest management.
Apply the principles of sustainable forest management within the context of climate change.
Compare and assess the major components of sustainable forest management.
Develop critical thinking and communication skills

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Tropentag 2021: Towards Shifting Paradigms in Agriculture for a Healthy and Sustainable Future

The annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (TROPENTAG) is jointly organised by the universities of Berlin, Bonn, Göttingen, Hohenheim, Kassel-Witzenhausen, ZALF e.V. (all Germany), Ghent University (Belgium), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Czech Republic), BOKU Vienna (Austria), and the Council for Tropical and Subtropical Research (ATSAF e.V) in co-operation with the GIZ Advisory Service on Agricultural Research for Development (BEAF).

Conference Theme:

Agriculture needs to be perceives in the minds of the people as in line with nature – we need to shift paradigms to a positive relationship between humans, environment, ecology and nature. Only products produced in line with the need and requirements of the planet should be positive in the minds of the people. If we achieve that, we may be able to still save the planet for a healthy and sustainable future. That is the discussion we would like to start (or indeed continue) during Tropentag 2021 in Hohenheim.

Tropentag 2021 will review recent research results addressing these challenges from various points of view with different approaches. Discussions in plenary and thematic sessions, poster sessions, and workshops will provide participants with new ideas to enhance our understanding and to keep the conversation on our TT21 topic going.

Audience:

All MSc and PhD students, scientists, extension workers, decision makers and politicians interested and engaged in agricultural research and rural development in transition and developing countries are cordially invited to participate and actively contribute. We particularly encourage young scientists (MSc and PhD students and Post Docs) to present their work.

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Mountain Partnership Summer School: Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate

One of the world’s greatest challenges is to secure access for all to adequate supplies of food that are healthy, safe and high quality, and to do so in an environmentally sustainable manner. To make the necessary improvements, the sustainable management of natural capital must be at the forefront of food production systems’ major goals. Resilient environments, sustainable production practices and the protection of agrobiodiversity can serve as avenues toward improving dietary diversity and quality and, in turn, generating income for sustainable smallholder farmers, while aiding in the restoration and preservation of ecosystems.

This summer school will focus on the importance of biodiversity in agriculture, with particular focus on biodiversity’s role in enhancing cropping and farming systems’ resilience and adaptability to climate change.

Across a series of lectures, participants will learn the principles and practices for gathering agrobiodiversity data through either participatory diagnostic or empirical approaches, and for their utilization to develop management approaches that improve resilience and adaptability.

The summer school will also analyse the economic value of agrobiodiversity in food systems as an incentive for conservation. It will investigate the most critical management aspects along the agricultural value chain, ranging from production to marketing and consumption.

A set of tools and methodologies for improving market access of neglected and underutilized foods and the role of gastronomic heritage as a driver for rural development will also be presented throughout the summer school. The aim of the summer school to equip participants with the necessary tools, knowledge and understanding to enhance productivity and improve marketing strategies in sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.

Training will include lectures by speakers from various national and international organizations.

Upon the completion of the training (75 percent attendance of the course is required), the students will be awarded six CFU/ECTS credits (Crediti Formativi Universitari/European Credit Transfer System).

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Curso Corto En Línea: Restauración Forestal en Paisajes Productivos

This event is in Spanish. See below for the description in English.

Los biodiversos ecosistemas tropicales de Latinoamérica están bajo la constante tensión de tener que sostener los medios de vida humanos, especialmente ser usados para agricultura y ganadería. En consecuencia, estos paisajes productivos están más fragmentados, tienen menos biodiversidad, producen menos servicios ambientales y son más vulnerables a las amenazas del cambio climático. Adicionalmente, los ecosistemas deteriorados proveen servicios ambientales inadecuados, lo cual limita la productividad agrícola y afecta negativamente los medios de vida locales. La restauración de bosques tropicales ofrece una oportunidad para transformar estas áreas degradadas en paisajes resilientes que provean beneficios tanto ecológicos como sociales.

Cada semana usted tendrá accesso a videos, lecturas, discusiones, tareas y otros materiales que le permitirán aprender a su propio ritmo. Además, podrá interactuar con los instructores del curso en tiempo real a través de sesiones de discusión en vivo y un proyecto opcional.

¿Desea aplicar conceptos del curso en un proyecto real? Los participantes tendrán la opción de desarrollar un proyecto personal – un plan preliminar de manejo de la restauración – y recibir comentarios de los instructores al final del curso.

Módulos Temáticos:

Semana 1: Ecología y perturbación de los bosques tropicales
Semana 2: Estrategias para catalizar la restauración
Semana 3: Aspectos sociales y culturales de la restauración
Semana 4: Monitoreo y evaluación de la restauración
Opcional: Desarrollo de un proyecto personal

Biodiverse tropical ecosystems of Latin America are under the constant tension of having to sustain human livelihoods, especially from agriculture and livestock use. Consequently, these agricultural landscapes are more fragmented, have less biodiversity, produce few ecosystem services and are more vulnerable to the threats of climate change. Additionally, impaired ecosystems provide inadequate ecosystem services, which limits agricultural productivity and negatively affects local livelihoods. Tropical forest restoration is an opportunity to transform these degraded areas into resilient landscapes that provide both ecological and social benefits.

This online course contains four weeks of content, including videos, readings, resources, discussions and assignments, completed at the participant’s own pace. The course will have live presentation sessions and an optional project discussion with course instructors.

During the course participants have the option to synthesize their work and apply it toward a personal project – a preliminary management plan for restoration in a site or landscape of individual interest. ELTI instructors will provide guidance and feedback on these assignments at the end of the course.

Thematic Modules:

Week 1: Tropical forest ecology and disturbance
Week 2: Strategies to catalyze restoration
Week 3: Social and cultural aspects of restoration
Week 4: Monitoring and evaluation of restoration
Optional: Development of a personal project

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Curso Corto En Línea: Agroecología y Sistemas Agroforestales

This event is in Spanish. See below for the description in English.

Este curso en línea introduce los principios de la agroecología y los sistemas agroforestales y presenta estudios de caso relacionados con la generación de conocimiento, el diseño, la implementación y el monitoreo participativo de la restauración agroecológica. Cuatro semanas inspiradoras junto a líderes ambientales globales, le permitirán ampliar su visión de las opciones que existen para producir alimentos y madera en armonía con el entorno natural.

Cada semana usted tendrá acceso a videos, lecturas, discusiones, tareas y otros materiales que le permitirán aprender a su propio ritmo. Además, podrá interactuar con los instructores del curso en tiempo real a través de dos sesiones de discusión en vivo y un proyecto opcional.

¿Desea aplicar los conceptos del curso en un proyecto real? Los participantes tendrán la opción de desarrollar un proyecto personal – un plan de restauración agroecológica y agroforestal de un predio – y recibir comentarios de los instructores al final del curso.

Módulos Temáticos:

Semana 1: Principios y prácticas de la agroecología
Semana 2: Sistemas agroforestales en América Latina
Semana 3: Restauración agroecológica
Semana 4: Métodos, planificación y monitoreo
Semana 5: (opcional) Desarrollo de proyecto personal

This online course introduces the principles of agroecology and agroforestry systems and presents case studies related to knowledge generation, design, implementation and participatory monitoring of agroecological restoration. Four inspiring weeks with global environmental leaders will allow you to broaden your vision of the options that exist to produce food and timber in harmony with nature.

Each week you will have access to videos, readings, discussions, homework, and other materials that allow you to learn at your own pace. In addition, you will be able to interact with course instructors in real time through two live discussion sessions and an optional project.

Would you like to apply the concepts of the course in a real project? Participants will have the option of developing a personal project – an agroecological and agroforestry restoration plan for a farm – and receiving comments from the instructors at the end of the course.

Thematic Modules:

Week 1: Principles and practices of agroecology
Week 2: Agroforestry systems in Latin America
Week 3: Agroecological restoration
Week 4: Methods, planning and monitoring
Week 5: (optional) Development of a personal project

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FTA-Kunming Science Conference

Forests, trees and agroforestry are key components of ecosystems. They exemplify the contributions of biodiversity to sustainable and resilient landscapes, green circular economy and to sustainable agriculture and food systems for healthy diets. The event will focus on these contributions, aiming to gather evidence that will ground the design of concrete options that can contribute to the implementation of the post 2020 agenda of the CBD COP 15 and towards the UN Food Systems Summit, and the overall implementation of the SDGs.

The conference will devote sessions to 6 themes:

Trees for agroecology and circular agriculture
Tree diversity: realizing economic and ecological value from tree genetic resources to bridge production gaps and promote resilience
Trees in the framework of the CBD
Mountain ecosystems and food security
Assessing benefits of landscape restoration
Trees for a circular green economy

Each of the 6 themes will be featured in technical sessions that will be running in parallel (2 per session). Theme leaders will identify main findings and critical recommendations to be brought to the attention of decision makers.

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