Think globally, act locally and change personally!
25 June 2009, Brussels. Just above 500 days are left to the end of 2010. Growing enthusiasm and excitement were the main outcomes of the Countdown 2010 Partners’ Assembly 2009. The 2010 Biodiversity Target may not be reached within the deadline, but there is no doubt that Countdown 2010 Partners have their story to tell.
David Ainsworth from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Ed Gillespie from Futerra Sustainability Communications opened the meeting by presenting some key elements of communicating biodiversity during the International Year of Biodiversity.
Participants from all over Europe discussed how to energize the International Year of Biodiversity through the wide and diverse Countdown 2010 network and identified some key actions that will help raise awareness of biodiversity conservation in the year 2010.
In addition, participants were asked to express their opinion on the future of the Countdown 2010 initiative. Partners hope to see Countdown 2010 continue after 2010 and highlighted how being part of the network helped them bring biodiversity into the agenda of their organization.
In another session on the post-2010 framework, it was recognized that halting biodiversity loss will remain an issue for the near future, however on the long term efforts should be focused on restoration and rehabilitation.
IUCN President, Ashok Khosla, intervened at the Assembly and told partners some good examples of how new technologies can be applied to natural resources management and exploited for human well-being. In other words, “Think of nature opportunistically”.
Three projects received the 2010 Activity Award for their excellent commitment and initatives for the 2010 Biodiversity Target. Click here to see the winners!
The minutes of the meeting will be available in the next few weeks upon request.
- See all the pictures of the Partners’ Assembly
- Presentation by David Ainsworth from CBD
- Presentation by Ed Gillespie from Futerra Sustainability Communications
