This event aims to provide insights into freshwater biodiversity conservation and restoration, with a specific focus on localised initiatives on the ground, and links to global monitoring. Throughout the event, experiences in freshwater ecosystem restoration at the national and sub-national levels will be shared. Furthermore, the event will explore the interconnections between SDG-6 monitoring and the Global Biodiversity Framework. These presentations and the following discussions are intended to offer valuable lessons for biodiversity conservation and restoration, both from current on-the-ground efforts and the exploration of synergies between existing freshwater data and information systems.
DRAFT AGENDA
*Please note that speakers are still to be confirmed.
UNEP moderator: TBC
Welcome
- David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (5 minutes)
Setting the scene: The state of Freshwater Ecosystems
- Ramsar (7 minutes)
Working together for scale, speed and impact: UN-Water System Wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation
- Dianna Kopansky/Leticia Carvalho, UNEP Representative to UN-Water (7 minutes)
Implementation at the national/sub-national level: country perspectives, initiatives and leadership (30 minutes)
Potential speakers:
- Ecuador (links with the event in Paramos with the indigenous community)
- Indonesia (linking to World Water Forum hosted by them, as well as mangrove and peatlands restoration)
- Mexico (Freshwater Challenge)
- Subnational level: restoration in cities: example of Cape Town/Iloilo
Links/initiatives of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Monitoring for the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration - FAO (10 minutes)
Aquatic Ecosystems and Target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework: How lessons from the ground and from the air can inform development of a reporting methodology
- Opportunities for aquatic ecosystems in reporting on Target 2 of the GBF and key questions outstanding in developing a methodology.
- Examples of aquatic restoration on-the-ground and various ways that activities can be captured from space.
Monitoring the health of Freshwater Ecosystems and links to Global Goals - UNEP (35 minutes)
What do we monitor for SDG6 and how can existing indicators and data contribute to tracking the progress of the GBF?
SDG-6 Data: 2024 Report & Methodology (10 minutes)
- Stuart Crane, Freshwater Unit, UNEP
Why are freshwater ecosystems important for biodiversity (and its related sectors?) and how to best consider and act on this relevance/importance within sector policy and planning?
Qualitative or quantitative analysis of most important interlinkages, what does the progress/lack of progress reported on mean for the implementation of other SDG targets, how can the data from the SDGs be used to inform on progress in other sectors, at different levels and especially the national.
Upcoming Data: Global Wetlands Watch (5 minutes)
- Global Wetlands Watch – tbd
How can the high-resolution maps and statistics on wetlands generated by Global Wetlands Watch support the country commitments and ambitions towards the Global Biodiversity Framework?
Strengthening Institutions and connecting monitoring and targets across wetland ecosystems (15 minutes)
- Global Wetlands Center – tbd (7 minutes)
- International Mangrove Research Center (IMRC) and International Tropical Peatlands Center (8 minutes)
How can the information on wetlands’ greenhouse gas budgets guide wetland management?
Closing remarks, key messages and take aways ~ 5 minutes
- UNEP, Susan Gardner, Ecosystems Division Director or Leticia Carvalho, Head of Marine and Freshwater Branch, Ecosystems Division, UNEP (TBD)