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Biodiversity Newsflash 105
April 2021
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1 | IPBES: Call for external review of the assessment on sustainable use of wild species
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ( IPBES) is inviting governments and qualified experts from all relevant disciplines and backgrounds to contribute to the external review of:
- the second order draft (SOD) of the chapters
- and the first order draft (FOD) of the summary for policymakers
…. of the assessment of the sustainable use of wild species. This is an important step as it the first opportunity to comment on the summary for policymakers (SPM). The aim of this review is to increase the policy relevance of this assessment by engaging governments and stakeholders early in the process of defining the policy questions that this assessment will address. The period for this review runs from the 16th of April until the 10th of June.For the full notification, see here. To participate, register on the IPBES website AND apply to become an IPBES external reviewer. Please share your review with the IPBES Belgian Focal Point too so that we can include them in the official Belgian response, by the 31st of May 2021. For more information, please contact Lise Goudeseune, for the IPBES Belgian Focal Point.
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2 | BiodivERsA Prize for Excellence and Impact: the TALE project.BiodivERsA and FACCE-JPI are very happy to announce the winner of the fourth edition of the BiodivERsA Prize for Excellence and Impact: the TALE project. The project investigated the potential conflicts and possible synergies between agricultural services and biodiversity through the development of land use scenarios and optimisation models. The prize acknowledges the excellent, pioneering research performed in TALE. TALE was funded under the 2013-14 joint call for research proposals on “ Promoting synergies and reducing trade-offs between food supply, biodiversity and ecosystem services”. Following the three laureates of the previous editions ( URBES, BUFFER, INVAXEN), TALE has been awarded the opportunity to contribute to the production of an animated video featuring their work and the results of their research.
Share this video with your contacts & networks!
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3 | BiodivERsA Brochure on the 2019-2020 Joint Call on Biodiversity and Climate Change
BiodivERsA is very happy to announce the release of a new brochure presenting its 2019-2020 Joint Call for research projects on Biodiversity and Climate Change. 34 funding organisations from 25 countries participated in this call, and 21 projects demonstrating both scientific excellence and societal / policy relevance were selected for a total amount of funding of over 25 M€. Read the brochureBiodivERsA invites you to the kick-off meeting of these projects on the 5th of May from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. CEST. The agenda of the kick-off is available here and you can register here.
For more information, please contact Hilde Eggermont, Scientific Coordinator at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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4 | IUCN World Conservation Congress: A hybrid event
IUCN World Conservation Congress to be held in person with the possibility of remote participation
Taking into account the current health situation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has decided to organise a “hybrid” IUCN World Conservation Congress, thus allowing those not able to physically attend the event to follow and participate in some parts of the Congress remotely.
When: 3 to 11 September 2021
Where: Marseille, France
More information
Registration options and Fees
The IUCN Congress now has two different registration options:
In-person participation: While maintaining health and safety protocols throughout the venue, in-person participation will help to broaden your network, get first-hand information and allow you to weigh in on the most pressing issues facing our planet. For fees and deadlines, please see “registration fees” page.
Virtual participation: This option provides you with all the Congress essentials from anywhere with an internet connection. It is the best option for those who are interested in identifying links that tie their organisation’s work with nature. Many sessions allow you to share your thoughts and ask for feedback from the experts, making this the perfect first introduction to an IUCN World Conservation Congress or an excellent option for those unable to make the trip to Marseille for the full Congress. Please note that registration for the virtual participation option will be available from 6 May. For fees and deadlines for virtual participation, please visit our “registration fees” page.
More information on the Congress Website
For more information, please contact Divija Jata, IUCN National Focal Point at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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5 | A Conversation with the IUCN Director-General
The IUCN National Committee UK hosted a webinar ‘A Conversation with the IUCN Director-General’ on the 16th March 2021, in which the IUCN DG, Dr Bruno Oberle, presented himself, his vision and some new IUCN initiatives to an audience of over 50 IUCN organisation and Commission Members. He also responded to questions from those participating on a number of topical issues. You can view the recording of this webinar HERE.
The DG has now begun similar events with IUCN Members across the world, using the convening and coordination capabilities of the 68 national committees and 10 regional committees or equivalents, in the IUCN family.
For more information, please contact Divija Jata, IUCN National Focal Point at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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6 | Belgian One Health Network perspective on the EU Green Deal
Save the Date!
23.11.2021
Brussels
The Belgian One Health network is preparing a discussion document on the EU Green Deal, in order to connect Belgian One Health expertise and perspectives to ongoing EU Green Deal governance initiatives. This will be input for the 23rd of November high-level event and deliberation with all interested parties from different sectors.
More information coming soon!
This work is being done in collaboration with the Federal Public Health Service and Sciensano
For more information, please contact Hans Keune, Biodiversity Expert, at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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7 | Biodiversity and One Health: WHO Webinar
Launch of WHO overview report on nature, biodiversity and health
The global environment is changing, and these changes have profound and negative impacts on nature – from a worldwide reduction in biodiversity and destruction of natural habitats to humans’use of about half of the planet’s liveable surface to feed and provide resources for themselves.
To mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, WHO Regional Office for Europe will launch an overview report describing nature’s relevance to human well-being, and how depletion of natural resources can turn into threats for human health. This will be followed by a moderated question and answer session with experts on the need to prevent and reduce human impacts on nature.
When: Thursday 20 May 2021, 10:00-11:30 CEST
Where: Virtual meeting, Register here.
This work is being done in collaboration with the Federal Public Health Service and Sciensano
For more information, please contact Hans Keune, Biodiversity Expert, at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform
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8 | LifeWatch-WB ecotope database
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9 | LifeWatch ERIC e-Science for Non-indigenous and Invasive Species research workshop
This two-day online workshop will showcase the results of four research projects into Non-indigenous and Invasive Species conducted over the last 18 months within the LifeWatch ERIC Internal Joint Initiative, and demonstrate the Tesseract workflows created by the ICT-Core to accommodate the analytical processes required by those researchers.
The resultant Virtual Research Environment (VRE) facilitates the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem data from multiple sources in different formats and allows modelling across spatial and temporal scales that have never been possible before
When: 20 - 21 May 2021
Where: Virtual, register here
More information about the workshop including the Programme.
For more information, please contact Dimitri Brosens, Biodiversity Data Acquisition Manager, at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform.
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10| GBIF Open Calls - April 2021
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11 | Belgian Focal Point to the Convention on Biological Diversity April Newsletter
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 Every month we present interesting items in the news we have read and that are worth sharing!
Nature: Our Best Prescription for a Healthy WorldApril 7 was World Health Day, and this year the day feels more salient than usual. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reverberate around the world, shaking the foundations of our economies and societies and deepening our understanding of how dependent we are on nature. Put simply: when the planet is sick, humans become sick too. Zoonotic diseases (pathogens that pass from animals to humans) like rabies and bubonic plague have challenged us for centuries, but the frequency of outbreaks of serious zoonotic diseases like SARS, Ebola and COVID-19 has accelerated in recent decades. UN launches the first artificial intelligence tool for rapid natural capital accountingAn innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that will make it easier for countries to measure the contributions of nature to their economic prosperity and well‑being was launched today by the United Nations and the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3). Developed by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and BC3, the new tool can vastly accelerate implementation of the new ground-breaking standard for valuing the contributions of nature that was adopted by the UN Statistical Commission last month.
Just 3% of Earth’s land ecosystems remain intact – but we can change thatFew things excite biologists more than contemplating the parts of the world still relatively free of human damage. For the last 30 years, scientists intent on protecting Earth’s biodiversity have sought to enshrine targets for preserving and expanding these remaining areas of wilderness. But what actually is wilderness, and how do we know when we’ve found it? Most people would call anywhere that’s remote and with few human inhabitants wilderness, but for scientists, it’s more complicated. Most scientific definitions of wilderness centre on the concept of “intactness”. If the basic structure of a habitat, such as a forest, is intact and there is little evidence of human impact, then it is often considered wilderness. Climate change, space, and health: a global perspectiveThe ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has brought a spotlight on the tight spatial relationships between ecosystems, human activities and health in more than one way. Between zoonotic emergence and human-mediated diffusion at local and international scales, the geographic aspects of this pandemic are multiple. This historical event is a good time to step back and assess our understanding of various health-related phenomena through the lens of geography.
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