GIAHS Forum in Japan, UN Decade of Biodiversity Kick-off Celebration Forum
Kanazawa, Japan, 16 December 2011
GIAHS FORUM in JAPAN UN Decade of Biodiversity Kick-off Celebration Forum Working towards CBD COP11 India: GIAHS POTENTIALS in ASIA
Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
Organized by : UNU-IAS Operation Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa
Following on from the declaration of 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNBD), a global forum celebrating the start of the decade was held in Kanazawa, Japan, on 16 December 2011.
To mark this momentous occasion, representatives of GIAHS sites in Asia joined together to explore ways in which they can contribute to biodiversity conservation through GIAHS activities. GIAHS potentials, issues of agricultural heritage and sustainability challenges, innovation and heritage integration and how these contribute to reversing the current trends of biodiversity loss to ensure sustainable futures for all global citizens were discussed on this occasion.
The main objective of this workshop, building on the GIAHS meetings held in Beijing, China, in June 2011, was to continue creating GIAHS networks and carrying out activities in Asia throughout the UN Decade of Biodiversity, working with GIAHS site communities, policy makers, researchers and civil society.
Keynote speakers of the forum were Dr. Parviz Koohafkan, Director Land and Water Division and GIAHS Coordinator; Prof. Li Wenhua, Chairman of GIAHS Steering Committee, Director, Center for Natural and Cultural Heritage, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CNACH/IGNSRR/CAS); Ms. Mary Jane Ramos dela Cruz, Technical Officer, Land and Water Division, FAO; and Mr. Akira Nagata, Senior Programme Coordinator, UNU-ISP. The afternoon session featured presentations by representatives from the GIAHS sites in China, India, Japan and the Philippines.