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GAOS Really Youthful Group production of
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Latest sustainability updates ... August 2008
The value of neglected species for sustainable development This most interesting guidance document explores how little known species can play a key role in alleviating poverty and conserving biodiversity. Promoting value chains of neglected and underutilized species
The increasing value of ecological restoration
In a thought provoking essay, James Blignaut and James Aronson make the case for using 'negative interest rates' to capture the increasing value over time of ecological restoration projects. Getting serious about maintaining biodiversity Economic analyses of marine management actions
A new clear and concise UNEP/GEF "guideline describes how to assess the economy of management actions to conserve marine and coastal resources." Though it focuses on the Yellow Sea, the concepts and techniques presented can be applied to other marine systems as well. Guideline for economic analyses of environmental management actions for the Yellow Sea
July 2008
Engaging European business to protect biodiversity
The July issue of the EC's nature newsletter focuses on business and biodiversity. "The European Commission is ... convinced that the business community can make a significant contribution towards biodiversity protection both inside and outside the EU. We need their support and engagement if we are to succeed in halting biodiversity loss."
Natura 2000 (July 2008)What to do now about climate change
Nicolas Stern is contributing to the current discussions on what we should actually be doing now to tackle climate change. His new report on 'Key elements of a global deal on climate change' seeks to address three core principles: effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.
Key elements Defining sustainability
The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility provides a concise introduction to sustainability.
Sustainability
Engaging the poor in business
A new UNDP report on 'Creating value for all: Strategies for doing business with the poor' offers strategies and tools for companies to expand beyond raditional business practices and bring in the world's poor as partners in growth and wealth creation. This excellent report from the UN's development programme explore a critical building block for sustainability.
Creating value for all
June 2008 Sponsoring in alpine parks
Earthmind associate, Barbara Mueller, has written a most interesting MSc dissertation on corporate sponsorship of protected areas. She explains: "Although private sector contributions will probably remain only a limited co-financing tool for the global protected area network in general, sponsorships - when developed and managed systematically - can lead to attractive contributions to park budgets on the individual site level especially in developed countries with a solid and dedicated corporate sector." Her paper is highly recommended for parks managers in search of new sources of funding.
Park + Corporation = Sponsorship
Profile of Barbara Mueller What's biodiversity worth to us? Launched at the recent 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the interim TEEB report on 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity' "aims to promote a better understanding of the true economic value of ecosystem services and to offer economic tools that take proper account of this value." ... This report "demonstrates the huge significance of ecosystems and biodiversity and the threats to human welfare if no action is taken to reverse current damage and losses." This report is also know as a Stern report for biodiversity.
TEEB report
May 2008 Geneva classes on global environment and sustainable development
The Duke University Program on Global Policy and Governance has a limited number of spaces available for students in four separate one-week classes being conducted in Geneva this summer. The courses are associated with Sanford Institute of Public Policy Masters in Public Policy programme. The course on Global Environment and Sustainable Development is being co-organised by Earthmind associate Erwin Rose and will be held on June 30-July 4.
Duke University courses for academic credit in Geneva, Switzerland Encouraging conservation
In May, our governments are meeting in Bonn, Germany, in their 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. A major agenda item is biodiversity incentives. Are they on track with encouraging conservation? Have a look at the background papers for the meeting on incentive measures:
In-depth review of the programme of work on incentive measures Paying for coastal & freshwater ecosystem services
There is an increasing interest in the "payments for ecosystem services" or PES and this newsletter provides a good overview for coastal and freshwater systems.
Basins and coasts news - May 2008 - Payment for environmental services
www.imcafs.org
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