Gustavo Fonseca, GEF, opened the session and introduced Naoko Ishii, the new GEF CEO, highlighting her 30-years of experience on development and finance issues as well as in-country experience in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Introducing her vision statement entitled “Time for Transformational Change,” Naoko Ishii, emphasized the need to find a way to value, measure and integrate natural capital into economic decision-making, highlighting the CBD’s role in this.

Ishii underlined GEF’s role as an innovator and promoter of new ideas and new ways of doing business. She emphasized payment for ecosystem services as one of these endeavors as well as certification systems. She observed that GEF should continue to be a champion or promoter of the Global Commons, noting the need for partnerships in order to achieve sustainable impact at scale. Emphasizing that the GEF needs to be the partner of choice for environmental benefits, she called for synergy amongst partners and Conventions. Ishii said GEF should also be a financial catalyst, cautioning, however, that money alone does not solve all the problems and underscoring strategies for bringing about transformation change. Ishii described ABS as “a very important part of conversation,” providing an interesting model of how GEF can help.

During the ensuring discussion, one participant reflected that resource mobilization should not be entirely contingent on official development assistance, noting that the GEF can do a lot to help develop domestic financial mechanisms to upscale resources for achieving the Aichi Targets. He also highlighted the role of policy development and the need for awareness raising on the Aichi targets. Acknowledging this, Ishii observed that GEF needs to utilize its convening power to bring all the relevant stakeholders on board.

Additional questions and comments were raised on: GEF’s preparedness for addressing the “environmental crisis; ” how to measure success; valuation of natural capital; the role of the private sector in bringing about transformational change; enhancing the role of civil society in GEF projects and facilitating civil society partnership engagement; increasing the number of implementing agencies; the role of law and legal preparedness; and the possibility of other Conventions receiving funding from the GEF.

Adrian Peres, European Commission (EC), summarized EC’s support to research on biodiversity and REDD+ through the Seventh Framework Programme of the EU. He provided a short description of three projects related to REDD+: Impacts of REDD+ (I-REDD+); REDD-ALERT, which focuses on alternative land uses in tropical rainforests; and Role of Biodiversity in Climate Change Mitigation (ROBIN).

Karin Zaunberger, EC, provided a policy perspective, touching on the process under UNFCCC and then highlighting risks for biodiversity under REDD+. On synergies with the CBD process, Zaunberger underscored the relevance of the ecosystem approach, the Aichi Targets, and indicators and mechanisms to monitor and assess the impacts of REDD+ on biodiversity. She stressed that any guidance on biodiversity for REDD+ coming out of the CBD process should be straight forward and operational at national levels.

Terry Parr, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), provided an overview of the ROBIN project, which takes a systems approach to: quantifying the role of biodiversity in mitigating climate change, evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of ecosystem change under climate change, and providing decision-support for policy-makers and stakeholders in land-use planning and REDD implementation.

Nashieli Garcia Alaniz, National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) elaborated on the ROBIN project’s Mexico component. She reported that Mexico would launch a National Biodiversity Monitoring System in 2014.

Andrew Heald, Biofore Company, provided a business perspective on REDD+ and discussed the management of biodiversity and forest certification schemes within the context of sustainable forest management.

Robert Nasi, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), discussed benefit sharing, noting both direct and indirect benefits. He also noted trade-offs between effectiveness/efficiency of emission reductions and equity under REDD+.

The discussion session, moderated by Terry Parr, CEH, addressed: the importance of including indicators and measures concerning biodiversity in REDD+; the differences between “safeguards” and “co-benefits;” and the question whether co-benefits can help sustainability at local levels.

Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, ICCA Consortium, reported on the creation of the first community conserved area for coastal ecosystems in Senegal. She outlined the traditional governance institutions and management zoning, including no-take zones corresponding to sacred sites. On ways forward, she highlighted how best practices are being shared with neighboring communities.

Robert Panipilla, Researcher, India, discussed the contribution of traditional knowledge to scientific understanding of reefs and coastlines, including fish population dynamics, food chains, and the mapping of underwater areas in Kerala. He explained how trawlers had damaged reefs, and how indigenous fishers responded by creating artificial reefs.

Bona Beding, Lamalera community, Indonesia, spoke on the customary law that governs fish harvesting among his people. He also discussed linkages between customary fishing practices and the spiritual practices on land.

Jorge Andreve, Researcher, Foundation for the Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge, Panama, presented on traditional knowledge and practices of Kuna people. He noted that the area is being managed according to traditional knowledge and community laws and rules. He highlighted how western knowledge is being used in conjunction with traditional knowledge to preserve land, coastal and marine ecological biodiversity.

Ron Vave, University of South Pacific, Fiji, highlighted locally managed marine area networks (LMMAs) in the South Pacific, which empowers local communities to manage natural resources. He emphasized: building on local knowledge and culture; the importance of community trust and ownership; using existing local governance structures; partnership between indigenous and non indigenous communities; and local community empowerment for managing their projects.

Anne Mc Donald, Sophia University, Japan, presented on women “Ama” free divers in Japan. She highlighted a traditional approach to resources management use and conservation, existing within a western system, passed down through matriarchal lineage for over 1000 years. She highlighted the problems facing the divers due to changes in the marine environment attributed to climate change, to which traditional knowledge is struggling to adapt.