2010 International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations proclaimed 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity and people all over the world who are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss..

The International Year of Biodiversity offers a unique opportunity to increase understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth.

FAO Contribution to the 2010 IYB

FAO plays an active role in meetings, celebrations and other activities initiated on the occasion of the International Year of Biodiversity.

FAO’s contributions to the International Year of Biodiversity include but are not limited to:

• the Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• the Global Forest Resources Assessment
• the Young Hands Together for Diversity International Art Competition
• the Youth Quick Guide to Biodiversity

Meetings/Activities

The role of biodiversity for food and agriculture in feeding the world and in light of global changes

Rome – FAO, Italy April 14 – 16

Two day technical meeting on the role of agricultural biodiversity in contributing to improved food security, feeding the world within a framework of enhanced agricultural efficiency and improved sustainability, and perspectives on ways of changing current global thinking on how to feed the world sustainably and achieve food security.

Technical Workshop - Biodiversity in Sustainable Diets. A product of the Cross-cutting Initiative on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition

Rome – FAO, Italy May 31 – June 1

Two-day meeting to obtain input from experts with innovative approaches to nutrition and biodiversity, food composition, local food systems, health, agriculture and food trade

Global Conference on Aquaculture “Farming the Waters for People and Food”

Bangkok, Thailand June 8 – 12

Conference to review the present status and trends in aquaculture development, evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the 2000 Bangkok Declaration and Strategy, advance knowledge and political momentum on aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector.

Launch of the Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Rome – FAO, Italy October 26

International Seminar on the role of Agriculture Biodiversity in addressing hunger and climate change

Cordoba, Spain September 13 – 16

A meeting of high-level international experts convened by FAO that aims to highlight the role of agricultural biodiversity in helping to ensure global food security in the context of climate change and the importance of international cooperation for its conservation and sustainable use.

The seminar will finally draft a conclusive document, that may take the form of a Declaration for the High Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Biological Diversity (New York September 22). The Declaration will also be presented at CBD COP 10 (Nagoya, Japan 18-29 October 2010) and at the Fourth Meeting of the Governing Body of the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (March 2011, Bali, Indonesia).

First International Scientific Symposium on Biodiversity and Sustainable Diets

Rome – FAO, Italy November 3 – 5

The Symposium directly engages UN agencies and other stakeholders in the fields of nutrition, environment, agriculture, health, education, culture and trade. The purpose of the Symposium is to jointly define and further develop the concept of sustainable diets through biodiversity, with a reduced impact on the environment, as one component of a shifting paradigm in approaches to malnutrition. This symposium brings together the evidence, showcases synergies and demonstrates benefits across different development sectors.

How Can Territories Face Biodiversity Conservation in the Context of Global Warming?

Brest, France December 14 – 16

Joint FAO-UNDP-UNEP meeting on Biodiversity and Regions, organised in partnership with Brest Métropole Océane.