On 1 October 2018, the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, National Focal Point of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), together with other partners, will organise an IPBES Belgian Uptake event. 

This one-day meeting will be a mixture of presentations, panel discussions, movie projections and participatory sessions. It will be an opportunity to: 

• Find out about the status of the IPBES Work Programme, adopted products and the next steps
• Learn about the findings and policy recommendations of the newly available IPBES Assessments, with focus on the Regional assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia (i.e. ECA Assessment)         
• Discuss how Belgian actors, sectors and initiatives can act upon these new findings
• Formulate ambitions and concrete actions and follow-up in the context of international commitments
• Learn about how Belgian experts engage in ongoing IPBES assessments.

The Nature-Health network event ‘Natuur op verwijzing’ will take place on 4 October 2018 in Antwerp (in Dutch). The meeting will be an opportunity for capacity building, networking and collaborations among professionals in the health and nature sectors. Professionals from other sectors are also welcome. The program includes lectures, workshops, walks, networking, open space, a market (with different types of initiatives from research, policy, and practice) and a panel with high level participants.

The event is organised by the University of Antwerp, the Province of Antwerp and the Belgian Community of Practice Biodiversity and Health, as well as many other organisations. This is the closing event of the project Green Light and related to the Chair on Care and the natural living environment of the Department of Primary & Interdisciplinary Care from the University of Antwerp. The event is also a follow-up of the 2016 European OneHealth/EcoHealth workshop.

Where? Elisabethzaal next to the Antwerp Zoo.
When? 4 October 2018

Registration for participants: by 15 July 2018.
Registration for a market stand: by 3 July 2018.

For more information, please contact Dr Hans Keune. 

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is seeking a dynamic, visionary leader with international standing to fill the post of Executive Secretary and guide GBIF into the next phase of its development.

The Executive Secretary leads a Copenhagen-based Secretariat with approximately 25 staff members and is responsible to the Governing Board for developing and implementing GBIF’s strategic plans, operating the infrastructure, serving users and fostering partnerships. The Executive Secretary reports to the Chair of the GBIF Governing Board and bears overall responsibility for the organisation’s financial stability and the condition of the network.

The selected candidate will assume the role from Donald Hobern, the current Executive Secretary, who will step down in February 2019 after seven years in the position.

The deadline for receiving applications is 24 July 2018.

Find the complete description here.

Five years of successful integration of biodiversity in the Belgian development cooperation forms the basis for further cooperation. In the week of 28 May to 1 June 2018, the involved Belgian and foreign partners gathered in Brussels. The achievements were presented in a public colloquium on 28 May 2018 at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The collaborations between the different actors were evaluated as very successful, and the next five years of collaboration were prepared. The colloquium was a big success, and involved the active participation of the public in an interactive way.

From the application of global programs and mechanisms (e.g. Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya Protocol, Clearing House Mechanism) to detailed site-specific case studies, from coastal plains to mountain forests, from Benin to Burundi and from Vietnam to Peru, the colloquium made very clear to the audience that CEBioS (Capacities for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development) is active on all levels and in all places where established and potential partners require assistance in building up the theoretical and practical knowledge required in the combined battle for biodiversity conservation and against poverty. Way too many examples to list here, but the presentations, abstracts and a selection of pictures can be consulted here.