COP 13 FAO side event
Two side events, held by FAO and the IES project's research partners, Bioversity International, shared experiences with the IES approach during COP 13 in Cancun, Mexico, December 2016. The side events highlighted the role of sustainable agricultural production to support the conservation of biodiversity, and the use of multiple incentives to support farmers transition to these best practices.
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Fewer sectors of society are as symbiotic with biodiversity, as agriculture, fisheries and forestry. While these sectors depend heavily on biodiversity and ecosystem services, their respective impacts on biodiversity may threaten food security and the provision of ecosystem functions and services that are vital to humanity. At the same time, some management practices serve to maintain habitats that support biodiversity and the generation of ecosystem services.
Many options to improve farming’s ecological footprint are known and many of which are knowledge intensive but can generate additional environmental social and economic advantages. Farmers, fishers and forest users, however, need more than a set of technical solutions. They need an integral vision that supports them along the way: to conserve or restore degraded habitats, improve production in a sustainable and efficient way, and getting better returns for their products. Higher productivity, within sustainability limits, means more land for conservation and less pressure on remaining natural habitats.
Detailed information
Side event #1975
Thursday 8 December 2016 @ 13:15
Contact Group 4 Universal Building, Main Floor
This side event aimed to illustrate how ecological approaches, technical solutions and improved institutional coordination can support the mainstreaming of biodiversity across the agriculture and food sectors. It highlighted how better alignment of investments can provide farmers with incentives that allow them to comply with biodiversity conservation goals, enable the sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, and improve productivity and food security.
Download the agenda here.
Download the presentation here.
The side event showcased examples of concrete policies, technical solutions and finance options to support FAO's Platform to mainstream biodiversity, launched during the High Level Segment of CBD COP13.