WINNERS OF THE BIODIVERSITY GALA AWARDS (OTTAWA, CANADA)

Image: NJ Wight for the Fauna Foundation

 

Fauna- a Chimpanzee Sanctuary

(Montreal)

Excellence in Animal Welfare

Nominated by St-Laurent Academy

In 1990, Dr. Richard Allan and Gloria Grow purchased a 100 acre farm in the Monteregie region of Quebec, about 20 minutes from Montreal.  In 1997, the property became the not-for-profit Fauna Foundation – whose primary objective was to create a protected environment for neglected, abandoned or abused farmed and domestic animals and animals from entertainment, education and research. Their primary focus is providing for chimpanzees rescued from research. Fauna is the first sanctuary to accept HIV infected chimpanzees from a laboratory.

All of the Fauna residents now enjoy the freedom to be themselves  -- as much as captivity allows --- and are no longer obligated to work, provide food, entertain, act as human companions, or be tools to teach or do research.   

Biodiversity Asia 2012

Biodiversity Asia 2012 is an international conference that aims to highlight the urgency of biodiversity conservation in Asia and showcase the advances made in research and conservation of Asia’s rich biodiversity. It is being organised ahead of the 11th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held in India in October 2012 and will bring together researchers, policy makers, students, teachers, practitioners, NGOs and others working towards the conservation of Asia's biodiversity. The conference focuses on four broad thematic areas: Conservation governance, Conservation biology, Conservation management, and Biodiversity and People. Thirteen symposia have already been confirmed. The conference is being co-organized by several institutions with inputs from a distinguished international advisory committee.

Information/ Contact: scbasiasecretariat@atree.org

BIODIVERSITY YOUTH MENTORS HAVE A PIZZA PARTY AT MACOUN MARSH- OTTAWA, CANADA

What is better than mixing a nature outing with a pizza lunch!

Pizza tastes better when you are outdoors!

Salamanders are cool!

mmmmmmmm!

Painted turtle taking in some sun.

LEADING GIRL BUILDING COMMUNITIES AWARD- ONTARIO, CANADA

The Leading Girls Building Community Award was presented to Jessica Walsh Moreau by Ottawa Centre Member of the Provincial Parliament Yasir Naqvi.  She has been involved in the Macoun Marsh Biodiversity Project since its beginning.  Jessica was also a leader in the 2009 International Youth Symposium for Biodiversity and the formation of the International Youth Accord for Biodiversity that she co-presented in Nagoya, Japan for COP10.     

FEMALE A STEP FORWARD- NEPAL

Bina Sunaha (18) from Kanchanpur district, Western Nepal has become first female mahout (elephant handler) in Nepal through free competition with other male aspirants for the job. Now she has the responsibility to take care of seven elephants including four female and two male and one baby elephant.

March 8

http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Shuklaphanta+gets+first+female+mahout&NewsID=323457

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMANT IN NAGANO

LET 4 DAYS STAY IN NAGANO, JAPAN INSPIRE YOU!
There will be a conference on June 14-17, 2012.  Please see this link: http://globe.nagano-ep.net/conference/en/index.html

We Canada

We Canada serves as a voice for Canadians who believe sustainable development should be a priority for their country and for the international community. We want the government of Canada to commit to creating a sustainable future and green economy, and to be a leader on the global stage at the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2012, Rio+20).

We Canada is an initiative of the Canadian Earth Summit Coalition, a self-organized, independent and informal civil society network of non-government, non-profit, academic and research organizations, international leaders in sustainability thinking, activists, cultural workers and individuals, working towards Canadian leadership at the Earth Summit 2012.The Coalition serves as a platform for sharing ideas and building strength for sustainability. We support a diversity of viewpoints and ideas. Partners maintain their independent programs, projects and political stances while promoting Canadian leadership at the Earth Summit 2012 and beyond. See our list of partners. Our not-for-profit group "bioidversitymatters" is an official partner of We Canada. 

INTERNATIONAL WETLANDS DAY

Grade 6 students from St-Laurent Academy in Ottawa, Canada enjoy some marsh time. 

I am very thankful that we have the Macoun Marsh as part of our class so we can see all the different wildlife and be outside.  Shaylyn 

Invitation for project submission for the Third International Youth Symposium for Biodiversity

In October 2012, the Third International Youth Symposium for Biodiversity will be held in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India. The purpose of the symposium is to welcome students from around the world, and to celebrate the local biodiversity work they are doing in their home countries. The Auroville symposium will take place prior to the 11^th Conference on Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity, which will be held in Hyderabad, India from October 8 – 19, 2012.

The Auroville Biodiversity Youth Symposium is open to students from around the world. In order to participate in this symposium, students are required to carry out a biodiversity study project in their respective home countries.  In line with the key issues that will be discussed at the Conference in Hyderabad, student biodiversity proposals can be on any of the following themes:

1.      Local biodiversity – Terrestrial or Aquatic

2.      Biodiversity and Livelihoods
3.      Role of cultural practices and tradition on biodiversity
4.      Effect of non-indigenous species on local biodiversity
5.      Cycle of cause and effect between human activity and biodiversity
6.      Urban biodiversity

All biodiversity study projects should ideally incorporate the following elements:

1. Field work and/or practical data collection – please visit the website: 
    http://www.sprise.com/shs/habitatnet.aspx?id=5386 for help
2. Scientific/theoretical approach
3. Creativity and personal expression

Guidelines for participation

The overall guidelines for participation/submission of projects for the Auroville Biodiversity Youth Symposium are:
u  Eligibility: students from Grades  8 to 12 (ages 14-19)
u  The proposal should include: 
u  A 150-250 word abstract that includes information regarding the project and how it relates to conserving “Global Biodiversity”. 
u  How the project will be implemented (techniques to be used)
u  General time line over 6 months
u  The location of the project
u  The email address of the project
u  Proposals must include: names of students and ages, teachers/ leaders, schools or group name, and contact information (phone & email or postal address).
u  The deadline for the submission of proposals is February 20th, 2012.

General Information:

1)      Submissions by conventional mail or email are to be sent to:

Chali Grinnel, Symposium for Biodiversity Coordinator

Future School
Auroville 605101
Tamil Nadu
India
EMAIL: futureschool@auroville.org.in

2) All proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts. Students will be notified of their acceptance to the symposium by March 10, 2012.

3) Information regarding any available funding to participate as well as logistics will be provided to all ACCEPTED proposals. 

4). For QUESTIONS contact any of the coordinators at their emails below:

Chali Grinnel- chali@auroville.org.in

Erin Kenny- enkenny@hotmail.com

Once the applications have been processed, and the delegates determined for the symposium, team leaders will be asked to process their payments.

Woodland caribou conservation in Canada’s mountain parks

The Calgary Zoo, in partnership with Parks Canada and the British Columbia Government have announced an initiative to begin a woodland caribou captive breeding program with the aim of bolstering herds in Canada’s mountain national parks.

Over two decades ago, Canada’s mountain parks were home to over 800 caribou. The population has now been reduced to less than 250 individuals. These herds belong to the Southern Mountain population of woodland caribou and are listed as Threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA). Threats such as increased predator access and fragmentation of alpine habitat have driven some herds to number as low as five or six individuals. This can leave them extremely vulnerable to events such as avalanches, which can lead to local extirpation.

The project will begin by sourcing animals from large wild populations in British Columbia which will be brought to the Calgary Zoo’s Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre to establish a captive breeding population. The first year will begin with a group of 20 caribou with 20 more added in the second year. In the third year, the first translocations will begin with yearlings moved from the captive herd to the wild. The goal will be to supplement caribou from four to six sub populations over one or two decades and re-establish a population in Banff.

This breed and release program is one component of the Parks Canada Conservation Strategy for Southern Mountain Caribou in Canada’s National Parks. Further work will go towards restoring the balance of predator-prey dynamics, limiting direct disturbances, preventing further habitat loss, reducing predator access and mitigating small population effects of the caribou herds.

Youth Mentorship- Module 2: Our Human Need for Biodiversity (2 hours) Oct.15- 10:00 am to noon at ALSA - OTTAWA, CANADA

Biodiversity is used in medical research and in our food industry. It is directly connected to the purification of the air and water, decomposition of wastes, recycling of nutrients, the pollination of crops, and the regulation of our climate. Many cultural services are to be considered here. Our global economy cannot function without biodiversity.

The students will partake in various activities that connect seemingly unrelated everyday products to their biological sources. They will also try some unusual foods! IF YOU INTERESTING IN COMING OUT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP. Mr. L.

ELEPHANTS RUMBLE- BHUTAN

A 27-year-old man has been seriously injured when he was attacked by an elephant in Dorona, southern Bhutan. In another report, wild elephants attacked the Zangdopelri Lhakhang damaging large prayer wheels, Drasha (hostel) and store rooms in Sarpangtar, southern Bhutan. 

October 6, 8

Bhutan Broadcasting Service

Regional workshop for Pacific on updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans

Nadi, Fiji, 4 October 2011 – Biodiversity experts and officials from across the Pacific region are working towards implementing the Nagoya Biodiversity Compact at the Regional Workshop on Updating National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans being held in Nadi, Fiji, from 3 to 7 October and organized jointly with a workshop on capacity-building for the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
 
The workshop, organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with the financial support of the Government of Japan and hosted by the Government of Fiji, aims to strengthen national capacities for the development, implementation, reviewing, updating, and communication of national biodiversity strategies and action plans; help facilitate national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; and translate the Strategic Plan into national targets and commitments.

The workshop offers the opportunity for regional biodiversity actors to contribute to, and participate in, capacity development. Representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), SPREP, IUCN, RARE, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, Island Conservation, BirdLife International and Secretariat of the Pacific Community are in attendance, together with participants from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

A celebration of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB), co-hosted by the Government of Fiji, SPREP and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, was held Monday at the same venue.

Mrs. Taina Tagicakibau, Permanent Secretary for Local Government, Housing, Urban, Development and Environment of Fiji, stated: “I would like to emphasize how much importance we place on this week’s proceedings. These capacity-building workshops are a crucial step toward securing the long-term viability of the biological resources of the South Pacific.” She added that biodiversity must be mainstreamed throughout government and all sectors of society through communication, education and appropriate incentive measures.

On behalf of the President of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, H.E. Mr. Yutaka Yoshizawa, Ambassador of Japan to Fiji, reiterated Japan’s support to developing country Parties to the Convention, especially in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. He also emphasized the importance of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Mr. Atsuhiro Yoshinaka, Global Coordinator at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, delivered a statement on behalf of Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention, saying that the Secretariat was committed to continuous efforts to assist Parties to ensure the timely delivery of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 at the national and regional levels.

FUTURE POLICY AWARD CROWNS WORLD’S BEST FOREST POLICIES

Forest laws and policies in Rwanda, The Gambia and the US beat out 17 other nominees to win 2011 Future Policy Award

New York, 21 September 2011. Rwanda’s National Forest Policy was proclaimed the winner of the 2011 Future Policy Award. The Gambia’s Community Forest Policy and the US Lacey Act with its amendment of 2008 received the Silver Awards. The three winning policies which most effectively contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations were announced on 21 September 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The announcement will be followed by an awards ceremony at the Central Park Zoo convened by the World Future Council, the Secretariats of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Forest Stewardship Council, and hosted at the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“Exemplary policy solutions do exist. The Future Policy Award celebrates the best of them. The aim of the award is to raise global awareness for these policies and speed up policy action. We need visionary policies which support a sustainable and just world and protect future generations,” says Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council, an international policy research organisation that provides decision-makers with effective policy solutions. The 2011 Future Policy Award shines a spotlight on the success stories and challenges faced by the world’s forests and the people who depend on them.

“Rwanda has sought not only to make its forests a national priority, but has also used them as a platform to revolutionise its stances on women’s rights and creating a healthy environment,” says Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Honorary World Future Councillor and Founder of the Green Belt Movement.

Despite continuing population and land pressures, Rwanda is on course to reach its goal of increasing forest cover to 30% of total land area achieving a major reversal in the trend of declining forest cover. Forest cover has already increased by 37% since 1990. Massive reforestation and planting activities that promoted indigenous species and involved the local population were undertaken, and new measures such as agro-forestry and education about forest management were implemented. Rwanda has also been a pioneer in banning plastic bags: in 2008 a bill was introduced to prohibit the manufacture, import, use and sale of polythene bags in the country.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Honorary World Future Councillor visited Rwanda in February this year together with Goodwill Ambassador Edward Norton and states: “Rwanda is an inspiration for the world. The national policy to heal and restore nature, through a border-to-border restoration programme, will create the basis for a healthy and resilient society of the future. This policy is placing Rwanda firmly on the map as a global environmental leader, and I hope many other countries will follow.”

St-Laurent Academy hosts its first Youth Biodiversity Mentorship Program- CANADA

Thirty two youth from ten Ottawa area schools joined us for our first module of our Biodiversity Mentorship Program. We wish to particularly thank our partners from Notre Dame Catholic, St. Patrick's High School, Henry Larson Public, and Devonshire Public for their assistance.  The program was taught by science educator Michael Leveille.  Mr. Leveille is also the Director of Biodiversitymatters.org. 

The youth had the opportunity to view our in-school nature museum.

We had an absolutely beautiful morning to explore the Macoun Marsh.

  One youth found a Buffalo Treehopper (Ceresa alta) 

We had a bit of excitement when a rare European mantis (Mantis religiosa) landed on the head of one of our visitors!

Our next class on the Connections between Biodiversity and our Daily Lives will be on October 15th.  

Ashbury College Green Club- Ottawa, CANADA

September 29th at 7-9pm, join us in the Ashbury Theatre for a screening of the documentary "POWERFUL: Energy for Everyone".

Director David Chernushenko will be present for questions, comments and dialogue after the screening. Bring a friend and learn about clean energy.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.  You may purchase tickets online at

www.ashbury.ca/greenclub  or at the door on Sept. 29.

Event sponsored by the Ashbury College Green Club.  For more information please visit www.powerfulthemovie.com

INDIAN DUDHUWA TIGRESS WITH TWO CUBS IN NEPAL

A tigress with two cubs from Dudhuwa National Park, India entered Shivahari Community Forest of Tribhuwanbasti of Kanchanpur District three weeks back.  According to a local, the tiger with cubs move into human settlements in the daytime and have killed half dozen of cows and a several dogs in neighboring villages.

September 11

Gorkhapatra

Our “Inspiring Youth For Change” Summit- GA, USA

Here is the official statement issued by the IS Foundation: We have just been notified that the event has to be rescheduled. For contractual reasons outside of his control, Ian Somerhalder must regretfully withdraw his participation in the OMG 2011 “Inspiring Youth for Change” Summit set to take place September 10th. Considering his great admiration for the One More Generation organization as well as the panel of inspiring guest speakers, Ian would like to emphasize his desire to participate in future events and his deepest apologies for his unfortunate absence.

Ian is being asked to attend a last minute event in CA on Sept 10th which he is contractually obligated to participate in. When you are as popular as Ian, things like this are bound to happen. We have a conference call scheduled with the Ian Somerhalder Foundation for Monday evening where we will solidify a postponement date. We are working on establishing a new date for the summit that works for all our guest speakers and we will post the details as soon as they are worked out.

We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience. If you one of the under 300 folks who already purchased a ticket, rest assured we will be issuing full refunds this week. We fully understand that this is a situation which is out of Ian’s (and his foundations) control and we hope all our fans will understand as well. I have met Ian and know that he is deeply sorry that this happened and he will do everything in his power to make the rescheduled event a huge success.

Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send me an email at info@onemoregeneration.org and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Thanks for your understanding and continued support.

Best regards from the entire OMG Team

Enhanced GEF and CBD efforts to explore funding options for achieving the Aichi

Montreal, 28 July 2011 – The Convention Secretariat, in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) country support programme and with the financial support of the European Commission, organized a West Africa regional workshop on biodiversity and finance in support of the Nagoya biodiversity compact in Monrovia, Liberia, on 22 July 2011. The GEF Expanded Constituency Workshop for the region was held in the same venue from 19 to 21 July 2011.

National focal points of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Environment Facility from Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo attended the regional workshop on biodiversity and finance. They commented that by merely bringing all focal points together alone was already a tremendous achievement for the Convention and the financial mechanism, and strongly recommended that the GEF further organize regional and subregional financial workshops with full participation of all external donors and all relevant

international treaties.

Durrell Day 2011 celebrates 25 years of success in Madagascar

Preparations are now well underway for Durrell Day, one of the largest events on the Channel Islands summer calendar.  Originally a one day party, the popular event has been extended over the last two years and on the 30th and 31st July, the wildlife park will once again throw open its doors and welcome visitors at a reduced rate of just £5 for adults and under 16’s free of charge, thanks to continued support from NatWest.

Durrell Day is a huge thank you both to Jersey residents and visitors to the island, for the support it has received over the last fifty years, which has enabled the Trust to continue working towards its mission of saving species from extinction.  Read more on this here:

http://www.durrell.org/Latest/News/Durrell-Day-2011-celebrates-25-years-of-success-in-Madagascar/