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Nagoya diary
Inside track
Throughout the conference, IUCN's delegation will be giving the inside view on what's happening and an insight into the key issues at stake.
Day Ten: Think about your children
The Nagoya biodiversity summit is almost over and we’re now one step away from finding out its final outcome. But whatever the result will be, I have a strong feeling that these two weeks have brought something new to the world of conservation and I look forward to seeing how this positive energy is turned into action, writes IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre. …
29 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Nine: IUCN and the world of conservation
Today we celebrated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Environment of Korea, Jeju Self-Governing Province and IUCN for the design, development and convening of the 2012 World Conservation Congress, writes Enrique Lahmann, Director of IUCN's Constituency Support Group. …
28 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Eight: Indiana Jones and the last species
The conference is almost over – there are only two more days of fevered discussions, late night meetings and off-side bilateral negations until final decisions will be made on what governments around the world will commit to regarding the future of biodiversity conservation. Ministers have now arrived at the conference and are entering high-level discussions while other more famous faces are being seen here as well – such as Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, who made a press statement today encouraging the USA to ratify the Convention, writes Dena Cator, Programme and Network Support Officer from IUCN's Species Programme. …
27 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Seven: How could the world be so different out there?
As we were preparing to launch our latest publication on sacred natural sites at the CBD conference in Nagoya (Sacred Natural Sites: Conserving nature and culture), of which I am a co-editor, I decided to expose myself to some nature and spirituality over the weekend, to resource myself after a few days of arid negotiations on policy. I went to the Ise Jingu shrine in the Mie prefecture, not far from Nagoya, writes Gonzalo Oviedo, IUCN Senior Advisor for Social Policy. …
26 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Six: Words, words, words...
Communications are very close to my heart, so it’s been really interesting to see the role they play here in Nagoya. We arrived here, just over a week ago, and it would be fair to say that most of us visitors came with rather limited communications, at least in Japanese. However, we have quickly learned how to get by, to say “thank you very much” (arigato gozaimas), “hello” (konichiwa), yes (hai) and no (i-e), writes Nicole Gooderson, Communications Officer from IUCN's Constinuency Support Group. …
25 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Five: Invasive species in Nagoya – really?
The Conference of Parties is nearing the end of the first week of multiple discussions and opinions about many issues relating to the conservation and management of biodiversity – and the valiant IUCN team is looking tired, but is still determined that this meeting in the Year of Biodiversity will be a success. IUCN is being consulted in many forums and people seem pleased that we are around. …
22 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Four: It was the best of times...
The discussions on protected areas emerging here in Nagoya are yielding all sorts of paradoxes, says Deputy Chair of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, Trevor Sandwith. …
21 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Three: So we want to conserve biodiversity, but who is going to pay for it?
As delegates discuss how to halt the on-going loss of biodiversity, a key question remains unanswered: who is going to pay the bill? Ultimately, the success of this conference and indeed the Convention on Biological Diversity as a whole rests upon the ability of delegates to find common ground on the thorny issue of funding. …
20 Oct 2010 | Event
Day Two: Love. Not Loss.
Wow, my jet lag is waning, and I managed to actually sleep at night. Today, I wandered through a series of side events listening to message after message of loss, unmet commitment and at the same time a hope for a process unfolding that will save our planet's biodiversity, writes Keith Wheeler, Chair of IUCN's Commission on Education and Communication. …
20 Oct 2010 | Event
Day One: Down the Rabbit hole
In Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Alice starts her adventure when she falls down a rabbit hole into a world of fantasy. Stepping into the Convention of Biological Diversity’s meeting in Nagoya is an experience not dissimilar to Alice’s, writes Bill Jackson, IUCN Deputy-Director General. …
18 Oct 2010 | Event
