Wednesday, 29 May 2013

On Wednesday morning, participants heard presentations on aligning policies, incentives and business within safe ecological limits. The session was chaired by Carina Malherbe, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.

Rachel Kyte, Vice President for the Sustainable Development Network, World Bank, presented the World Bank’s view on the need to balance economic and environmental interests, focusing on the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) partnership. Paul Leadley, University of Paris, presented on systems ecology and the identification of safe ecological limits at different scales. Arne Geschke, University of Sydney, presented a study on trade and biodiversity, published in Nature, which aimed at assigning responsibility for threats to biodiversity driven by economic interest, in particular export of goods and services.

Edgard Hertwich, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, spoke about how the study of industrial ecology provides policy-relevant insights into the unintended environmental impacts caused by the production, transport, and consumption of natural resources. Rob Alkemade, Netherlands Environmental Assessments Agency (PBL), presented on the state of knowledge in the scenarios of the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-4).

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Tuesday, 28 May 2013

On Tuesday, participants focused on trade-offs in national policies. In a session chaired by Valeria González Posse, Directorate General for Environmental Affairs, Ministry of External Relations of Argentina, Edward Barbier, Professor of Economics, University of Wyoming, US, presented on biodiversity, environmental economics and economic policies. He explained that policy needs to address market, institutional and government failures in order to improve economic policies for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Heidi Wittmer, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, launched the Guidance Manual for The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Country Studies (TCS), which provides practical advice to anyone considering or undertaking a TEEB country study.

Moderating a panel session, Pavan Sukhdev, Founder and CEO, GIST Advisory, stressed the need to take into account a multi-stakeholder perspective. Bob Watson, Co-Chair of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, explained that a crucial point in the UK National Ecosystem Assessment was to include the perspectives of several stakeholders. Sian Sullivan, Birkbeck College, UK, cautioned that the economic valuation of biodiversity can exacerbate economic inequality. Edgar Selvin Pérez, Director, National Council for Protected Areas, Guatemala, discussed the impact of ethics and state building for biodiversity conservation. Valerie Hickey, Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES), World Bank, stated that "biodiversity remains invisible at the marketplace of ideas," and suggested embracing new partners, notably the private sector. Nik Sekhran, Principal Technical Adviser for Biodiversity, UNDP, stressed the need to understand what drives decision making in various sectors and distinguish between the need of business, consumers and the state, notably the finance minister in particular.

Anthony Cox, Head of the Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, OECD, noted that OECD has developed an assessment framework that brings together policy makers and stakeholders to go through options for addressing trade-offs. Diego Pacheco, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolivia, presented on the Bolivian legal framework for management of environmental functions in balance and harmony with Mother Earth.

Stanley Asah, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, US, presented on the role of social sciences in achieving the Aichi targets, arguing that biodiversity conservation is about human enterprise. Alessandra Alfieri, UN Statistics Division, presented on the UN system of environmental economic accounting. Pushpam Kumar, UNEP, provided an overview of the Inclusive Wealth Report (IWR) 2012 report, a joint initiative of UNEP and the UN University International Human Dimensions Programme (UNU-IHDP). Anantha Duraiappah, UNU-IHDP, provided additional details on the theoretical basis of the report, which redefines wealth as the stock of productive capital that society can use to generate human well-being.

In the afternoon, participants took part in 14 parallel facilitated roundtables, considering a set of questions for Aichi targets 1 (awareness of biodiversity values) and 2 (integration of biodiversity values into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and incorporation into national accounting and reporting systems). The roundtables then submitted their findings and conclusions in real time to a team of facilitators via a web application.

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Monday, 27 May 2013

On Monday, the Trondheim Biodiversity Conference opened with a performance by Trondheim-based acapella group Apes & Babes. The opening session featured statements by: Bård Vegar Solhjell, Norway’s Minister of the Environment; Rita Ottervik, Mayor of Trondheim; and Jayanthi Natarajan, India’s Minister of Environment and Forests and President of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

During a session on Trondheim+20 perspectives, Bård Vegar Solhjel set the stage for the Conference, noting, among other issues, the need for improved knowledge as key to making better decisions and a step-wise approach to the valuation of natural capital. Professor Abdul H. Zakri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), presented on ecology and human well-being, stressing the need to ensure the Aichi targets are fully taken into account during discussions on the post-2015 development agenda, and to develop a vision going beyond gross domestic product (GDP). Rebeca Grynspan, UN Under-Secretary General and Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), presented on ecology in the post-2015 development agenda and proposed a series of actions in order to mainstream biodiversity concerns into the development agenda.

Árni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, presented on ecology and economy in food security. He highlighted food production systems’ pervasive impact on the environment, concluding that they are essential components of a transition toward a more sustainable future. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, presented on the Strategic Goal A of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society). Peter Gilruth, Director, Division of Early Warning and Assessment, UNEP, on behalf of UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, presented on the interplay between ecology, economy and society, and recalled successful stories on sustainable development.

The afternoon session was co-chaired by Tone Solhaug, Norway’s Ministry of Environment, and Ivar Baste, Norway’s Directorate for Nature Management.

Simon Upton, Environment Director, OECD, presented on bridging economic and ecologic policies for a sustainable society. He identified four priorities for action: reforming or removing environmentally harmful subsidies; scaling up private sector engagement; improving data, metrics and indicators; and mainstreaming and integrating biodiversity into other policy areas and sectors of the economy. Prasad Menon, Chairman of Tata quality management services, Tata Group, presented on the alignment between public and private sectors for sustainability, including three case studies illustrating the use of education for environmental conservation. Peter Schei, Trondheim Conference founder, presented on the history, challenges and future of the Trondheim Conferences on Biodiversity. Pavan Sukhdev, Founder and CEO, GIST Advisory, discussed alignments of public policies and business strategies across sectors and scales, calling for global collaborative networks.

A panel moderated by Peter Schei then discussed participants’ questions on the day’s presentations.

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