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  • Side Events (38)

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  • SBSTTA 15 (38)

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Aichi Targets

Date

Side Event

Water & Forests: Fostering Human Health in a Changing Environment towards a Green Economy

Organizer
Global Environmental Change and Human Health (GECHH) - United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)

Date and Time
8 November 2011 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Fifteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

A Side Event at CBD/SBSTTA-15 organized by the Global Environmental Change and Human Health (GECHH) Joint Project, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section; and Environment Canada (tbc) To celebrate the International Year of Forests - 2011 Forest ecosystems provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihood and well-being (sensu Aichi Target 14); however, the impact of global environmental change (GEC), through land-cover/land-use changes and climate change, on forests is jeopardizing the health benefits provided by these ecosystems, as well as in some cases exacerbating threats to human health posed by forests essentially through infectious diseases and physical hazards. Within the framework of the Aichi Target 14, and taking into account the cross-cutting nature of “water” within the CBD Programmes of Work, in particular the POW on Forest Biodiversity (e.g., UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/15/8) and the increasing attention on the biodiversity/health nexus within CBD processes; this side event is intended as a knowledge-sharing opportunity:  to inform SBSTTA delegates on current policy-relevant research on the role of forests in fostering human health in a changing environment, with a specific focus on water;  to highlight the key role of the ecosystem (eco-health) approach in addressing the linkages between forests, water and human health in a changing environment;  to promote the enhanced use of biodiversity in programmes contributing to human health and sustainable use and  to foster bridges between the research and the policy communities, also within the framework of a green economy. The side event will also be an opportunity to convey the outcomes of the UNECE/FAO workshop “Payment for Ecosystem Services: What role for a green economy?” (UNECE/FAO Forest and Water Week, Geneva, Switzerland, 4-5 July 2011) and those of the GECHH 2011 Symposium “Global Environmental Change and Human Health: Healthy Forests for Life” organized in partnership with CNR-ISE and CNR-IRSA (Verbania, Lake Maggiore, Italy, 19-21 September 2011) DRAFT PROGRAMME Welcoming & Introductory Remarks by Prof. Mark Rosenberg, co-Chair GECHH Scientific Steering Committee Prof. Chris Metcalfe, Senior Research Fellow (Water-Health Nexus), UNU-INWEH •Water, forests and human health The Aichi Targets and the Convention on Biological Diversity Ms. Kathryn Campbell, Programme Officer, SCBD; Parks Victoria, Australia •Forests, water and human health in a changing environment State-of-the-science and research gaps Dr. Lucilla Spini, GECHH Executive Officer, UNU-INWEH •Water, forests and ecosystem services Canadian case-studies and trends Ms. Krista Blackborow, Ecosystem and Biodiversity Priorities Division, Environment Canada •Forests, water and human health towards a green economy Processes and case-studies from the Pan-European region Ms. Paola Deda, Chief, Forestry and Timber Section, UNECE/FAO Brainstorming Session and Open-Floor Discussion Moderated by Dr. Lucilla Spini, GECHH Executive Officer, UNU-INWEH Concluding Remarks Prof. Jo Mulongoy, Principal Officer, Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters, SCBD