SEOUL, May 4 — Representatives of scientists from China, Germany, India, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, and Viet Nam taking part in a “Nature for Peace” forum on Friday highlighted the importance of giving attention to local stakeholders in transboundary ecosystem conservation.
Riverine and Wetlands-Water Security are compromised due to diverse drivers and increasing drivers affecting ecosystem resilience and climate regulation potential. Combination, cooperation, and intervention at different levels should be mostly on the landscape internet to enhance improvement and conservation of transboundary cases, said Shalini Dhyani, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), during her report titled “Nature-based Solutions for Transboundary Ecosystem Conservation between the areas bordering India, Nepal, and China.”
Prof. Junguo Liu, Southern University of Science and Technology, introduced the Stepwise ecological restoration (STERE) framework as a tool to implement restorative activities by considering levels of ecosystem degradation and financial, ecological, and institutional feasibility in his report “Ecosystem Restoration and Cross-border Cooperation: Case of China,” and highlighted cross-border cooperation was important for ecosystem restoration. STERE would play an important role globally.
At the panel discussion, which was held virtually, moderated by Dr. Rudolf de Groot, five attendees were invited to introduce their experiences of nature-based solutions for transboundary ecosystem conservation in Viet Nam, China, Nepal, and DPR Korea.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Tan, the country program coordinator of CIFOR-ICRAF Viet Nam, introduced an NBS case in central Viet Nam and highlighted the challenges concerning multi-stakeholder cooperation and the balance between conservation and development during the discussion. Great efforts need to promote sustainable transboundary grassland management and governance, said Prof. Shikui Dong, School of Grassland, Beijing Forestry University, and pointed out that institutional practices could be improved by locating decision making at the lowest appropriate level and increasing transparency with better information flows. Prof. Jianchu Xu, Principal Scientist and Regional Coordinator East and Central Asia, Professor of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared his experiences in designing a participatory Agroforestry Cycle in DPR Korea and highlighted the importance of involving local stakeholders. Dr. Luke Brander demonstrated the global data gap on the economic value of transboundary ecosystems in his brief introduction of the evidence on the value of transboundary conservation from the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD)
Together with the thematic presenters, all representatives discussed transboundary ecosystem conservation and restoration lessons and challenges. They highlighted that, in addition to the management or organization at the governmental and institutional level, special attention should be paid to local communities, which have diverse social and economic backgrounds and great potential to promote transboundary conservation and restoration.
Starting in 2022, the Nature for Peace Forum is an annual event organized by the ESP Asia Regional Office to improve biodiversity and nature-based solutions in transboundary areas utilizing the ecosystem services approach.
Reported by Dr. Yuehan Dou
ESP Asia Regional Office & Southern University of Science and Technology
