Nereus Principal Investigator Pat Halpin (Duke), Fellow Daniel Dunn (Duke), Fellow Gerald Singh (UBC), and Research Associate Suzanne von der Porten (UBC), will attend the Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP13). The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and meets to advance implementation of the Convention through its meetings. The meetings address issues to do with the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, access to traditional knowledge, transfer of technology, impact assessments, and public awareness.
Daniel Dunn will engage in the contact and drafting groups related to the EBSA recommendations; he is a coauthor on one presentation during the GOBI side event on Monday Dec. 12. Pat Halpin is participating in two CBD expert workshops during COP: one on biodiversity monitoring (Dec 10) and one on marine spatial planning (Dec 13).
Gerald Singh and Suzanne von der Porten will present on Dec 8th as part of “Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Day” at the Rio Conventions Pavilion.
Session 3 (13:00-14:30) – Sustainable Fishing and Protection of Marine and Coastal Habitats: Learning from Local Action
Session description:
Sustainable fishing and marine protected areas are critical components to ensure a steady food supply, the preservation of marine biodiversity, and a key source of livelihoods for local communities and indigenous peoples around the world. Yet, marine and coastal habitats are consistently under threat from destructive fishing practices, industrial fisheries, and large scale infrastructure projects that can severely affect delicate marine ecosystems. The interactive session will explore how communities are responding to the above-mentioned challenges to safeguard their marine resources. Indigenous peoples and local communities will share best practices from locally managed marine protected areas. Discussion will focus on how these initiatives can be scaled up and replicated to meet the SDGs.