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GreenFormation Kft., together with Transition Wekerle civil organisation, Kiserdő Egyesület, and volunteers, organised a successful event within the framework of the Co-Bio project’s local case study.

We launched a program series called “Wekerle, természetesen!” (Wekerle, naturally!) that aims to provide useful information and practical ideas to Wekerletelep residents, supporting them in taking nature-friendly steps to enhance biodiversity in their gardens, balconies, or shared green spaces. Our cooperating partner, the Wekerlei Kultúrház (local community centre), provided the space for the event.

With the first event, called “Wildlife in the city: Small garden, big opportunities”, we wanted to highlight the importance of urban biodiversity and provide residents with a few practical ideas for supporting urban wildlife. A presentation was held by Budapest’s Chief Landscape Architect, Sándor Bardóczi, followed by questions from the participants.

Fisheries are a vital source of food and nutrition security and employment for tens of thousands of Liberians (upwards of 30,000 fishers and fish traders). This is particularly true for coastal communities and the small-scale fishing (SSF) sector or artisanal fishers who operate traditional canoes and open wooden boats. However, there has been a growing trend towards distant water fishing (DWF), where industrial foreign fishing vessels operate in Liberian waters, often with little oversight or regulation. While DWF can provide economic benefits for coastal States, it can also have negative impacts on marine ecosystems and fish stocks and the livelihoods and food security of local communities, especially when using indiscriminate fishing gear such as the primarily foreign-owned mid-water and bottom trawl fishery targeting shallow- and deep-water demersal fish species.

In a significant stride towards understanding and mitigating the impacts of distant water fishing on local coastal communities, Nathaniel I Kollie, a dedicated M.S. student in the Coastal Science & Policy Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, embarks on a crucial capstone project generously funded by the Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF) of the New England Aquarium. This project focused on examining the direct and indirect impacts of distant water fishing (DWF) on local communities’ livelihood and food security in Liberia to inform recommendations for National Fisheries and Aquaculture (NaFAA) and other interested actors. [Read more…] about Liberia National Network launches project on the impacts of distant water fishing on local communities

The Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) delegation played an active role at COP16 held earlier this year in Cali, Colombia, organizing and participating in several important side events across both the Green and Blue Zones. These included discussions on Connecting Biodiversity and Finance through Ecosystem Services – Building the future of Environmental decisionmaking, Advances in the Plural Valuation of Nature, and The Value of Ecosystem Services & Aligning Private Finance with Nature. These sessions focused on disseminating and discussing knowledge on ecosystem services, plural valuation and the integration of ecosystem services into policy and finance, with a special emphasis on advancing nature-based solutions and aligning financial investments with biodiversity goals

In collaboration with the Young Ecosystem Services Specialists (YESS) delegation, ESP published a position statement addressing these key topics. The position statement can be accessed here. [Read more…] about ESP and YESS Delegations at COP16: Advancing Nature-based Solutions and Ecosystem Valuation