Highlights for Thursday, 1 November 2007

On Thursday morning, Gabriele Obermayr, Austria, chaired a session on “Wetlands and freshwater resources.”

Nick Davidson, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, addressed the role of wetlands for water and people. Terje Tvedt, University of Bergen, Norway, discussed river controls and biodiversity. Wouter van de Bund, European Commission Joint Research Centre, Italy, elaborated on biodiversity aspects of the European Union’s Water Framework Directive.

On Thursday morning and afternoon, a session on “Marine resources and biodiversity” was chaired by Isabel Sousa Pinto, University of Porto, Portugal.

Jackie Alder, University of British Columbia, Canada, explored the state of marine biodiversity and marine ecosystems. Kenneth Sherman, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US, discussed ecosystem-based biodiversity conservation in relation to large marine ecosystems. Ricardo Serrão Santos, University of the Azores, Portugal, talked about the conservation and utilization of biodiversity on seamounts. Salvatore Arico, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), presented on deep sea genetic resources. Devin Bartley, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), discussed the ecosystem approach as it relates to fisheries and biodiversity conservation. Anne Martinussen, WWF-Norway, addressed the management of coastal resources.

Peter Bridgewater, UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee, moderated a panel discussion on how to secure marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.