Biodiversity: CIRAD's involvement in the World Conservation Congress

While UN conferences bring together government delegations and IPBES meetings scientists and policymakers, IUCN congresses attract a range of players from all horizons. "This event is a different forum for debate on nature conservation, with the notable advantage of giving civil society groups a rare chance to speak", says Didier Bazile, a CIRAD researcher and co-leader of its Biodiversity priority research topic.

CIRAD will be involved in the main three components of the congress.

The Members' Assembly

IUCN members meet every four years for their general assembly, at which they validate their upcoming work programme. Priority operations are debated collectively, followed by a vote on various motions, to frame IUCN's advocacy work over the next four years. CIRAD researchers, in association with the French National Committee of IUCN Members, have been involved in drafting several motions, notably on non-human rights and on imported deforestation.

With their experience of tropical and Mediterranean zones, CIRAD researchers will act as observers at the Members' Assembly, to follow the debate and react if needs be, to offset any imbalances of power and make their case based on the wealth of experience within our research teams in various world regions. They will focus particularly on the following topics:

• The cultural and political aspects of biodiversity
• Synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation
• Biodiversity as a factor in global health
• Developing a culture of conservation in partnership
• The links between biodiversity and climate change
• Citizen science and research
• Agrobiodiversity and agroecology

The Forum, a place for exchanges between experts

CIRAD and its partners are co-organizing several thematic sessions to showcase its expertise, ideas and working methods.

Thinking rangeland as commons

4 September / 14:00–15:30 / on line - Virtual Channel 1
Co-organized by the University of Innsbruck, the University of Padua and CIRAD, with a contribution from CIRAD's Jean-François Tourrand.
More info

Help us develop the Bonn Challenge Barometer to measure restoration progress on all ecosystem types

6 September / 11:00–13:00 / on line - Virtual Channel 8
Organized by the IUCN Forest Conservation Programme, with a contribution from Plinio Sist, Head of CIRAD's Forests and Societies research unit.
More info

How can the land sector help to boost biodiversity and food security while helping to fight climate change? Science has some key messages for us

7 September / 8:30-10:30 / H8 - 3 Verdon
Co-organized by INRAE, IDDRI, IRD and CIRAD, with the participation of Vincent Blanfort, CIRAD Climate Change Officer.
More info

Pl@ntNet, ten years of automatic plant identification and monitoring

Pitch on line as of 4 September
Co-organized by CIRAD and INRIA, with the participation of Pierre Bonnet, botanist at CIRAD (AMAP research unit).
More info

The Exhibition, a space open to the public

CIRAD will be present in several pavilions and on stands, to talk to the public and publicize its expertise and its position within research programmes in the global South, with particular emphasis on partnerships.

Planet B - Play again

September 4 and 5 / 9:30-19:00 / Hall 2 - B13, Espace Génération Nature
Role-playing sessions with Christophe Le Page and William's Daré, researchers at CIRAD.

Solutions for sustainable agriculture: cultivating biodiversity to cultivate resilience

September 4 / 13:00-14:00 / Réimagine space, Hall 3
With Didier Bazile, co-leader of CIRAD's Biodiversity priority research topic. Genetic, specific and ecosystem and cultural diversity will be the subject of three short scientific conferences on the progress of French research carried out in partnership. Co-organized by CIRAD, INRAE and IRD.
More info

Let's cultivate Biodiversity together; on the way to COP15, Convention on Biological Diversity

September 5 / 17:30-18:30 / France Pavilion
With CIRAD CEO Élisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin. Co-organized by CIRAD, INRAE and IRD, this political event is linked to the scientific event on September 4, on cultivated biodiversity (Réimagine space). The progress of French research in partnership will be shared with the panellists.
More info soon

Protected areas in central Africa

4 and 5 September / 10:30-11:00 / Vital Sites - the Protected Planet Pavilion / Governance & Rights Village
and 6 September / 14:00-15:00
Exchanges with the public on the Protected areas in Central Africa report, with Charles Doumenge, CIRAD researcher and chief scientific editor of the report.
More info

Sustainable wildlife management - SWM

6 September / 14:00-15:00 / European Union Pavilion
With Alain Billand, CIRAD representative within the SWM consortium.
More info

World Network of Biosphere Reserves of the Man Programme

6 September / 13:00-15:00 / H3 - UNESCO LVMH stand / no. A41
With Christophe LePage, CIRAD researcher.
More info

Trade with Gabon

6 September / 16:30
CIRAD will participate in an exchange with the Gabonese Minister of Forests before an event organized by France and Gabon, entitled "Creation of a Business Forum for the establishment of sustainable value chains in Africa".

Preservation of tropical forests and terrestrial biodiversity: How to mobilize actors to efficiently tackle imported deforestation?

7 September / 11:00-12:30 / H8 - 8 Pyrénées + live broadcast
With Plinio Sist, Head of CIRAD's Forests and Societies research unit
More info

Imported deforestation

September 7 / 16:45 p.m.-16:30 / H3 Central Stage B
With Alain Karsenty, economist at CIRAD
More info

Alliance for the Preservation of Tropical and Humid Forests

8 September / 18:30-20:15 / France Pavilion
With Plinio Sist, Head of CIRAD's Forests and Societies research unit
More info

The One Health concept

10 September / 16:00-17:45
A round table with the participation of Thierry Lefrançois, Director of CIRAD's Biological Systems department, member of the French Covid-19 Council. Organized within the framework of the 1st summit of French-speaking parliamentarians committed to nature.
More info (in French)

Oil palm role play

11 September / 9:30-19:00, Alliance Forest Preservation Stand
With Marcel Djama and Alain Rival, CIRAD researchers.

Presentation of Pl@ntnet

Throughout the congress / Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council Pavilion
Pl@ntNet is a mobile and online participatory science platform which aims to facilitate the collection, exchange and accessibility of botanical data using the latest machine learning technology. More info on Pl@ntnet.