On 7 June 2021, in commemoration of World Environment Day 2021 themed with ‘Ecosystem Restoration’, COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme – International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP) organized a virtual conference on “Ecosystem Restoration in the Global South” to celebrate the continuous efforts around developing regions in conserving and restoring ecosystems and spearheading post-COVID-19 recovery. Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP, attended the conference and facilitated opening session and discussion session. Ms. Guoqin Wang, Programme Manager from UNEP-IEMP, made a presentation at the conference.
To embrace the theme of World Environment Day 2021 of “Ecosystem Restoration”, the conference aims to bring together key experts in the fields of ecosystem restoration, conservation and sustainable management from the Global South to share good practices and lessons learnt of ecosystem research and management, as well as to explore partnership opportunities to further collaborate on the topics of ecosystem restoration.
Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP, moderated the opening session of the conference and welcomed the speakers and participants. Kerstin Stendahl, Head of Ecosystems Integration Branch of UNEP, delivered the introductory remarks, introduced the background of the conference and set the scene for the following presentations and discussions.
Dr. Linxiu Zhang, Director of UNEP-IEMP, moderating the opening session of the conference
In the first session, Ms. Guoqin Wang, Programme Manager from UNEP-IEMP, made a presentation on "Best Practices & Success Stories of Ecosystem Restoration in China". In her presentation, Ms. Wang introduced the institutional background of UNEP-IEMP and the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) of CAS, restoration impacts from CERN and the relevance between its work and UN Decade on restoration. She also took selected cases as examples, and shared the experience and good practices on ecological orchard and rotational system for mowing grasslands, demonstrating China’s efforts and achievements on ecosystem restoration.
Ms. Guoqin Wang, Programme Manager from UNEP-IEMP, making a presentation at the conference
During the conference, scientists, scholars, policy makers and professionals from CCCS, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Jordan University of Science and Technology, University of Kelaniya and other relevant institutions shared their experiences and insights and conducted in-depth discussions on ecosystem restoration in the global south.
Scientists, scholars, policy makers and professionals from the international community attending the conference online
Our planet is under increasing threats from ecological degradation, declining biodiversity, worsening desertification and frequent extreme weather events pose severe challenges to human survival. This virtual conference on “Ecosystem Restoration in the Global South” promotes South-South exchange and cooperation, as a complement to North-South cooperation, to bridge science and policy gaps in achieving sustainable development goals and climate targets and gather support in financing, technology and capacity building to help developing countries achieve transition to green and low-carbon development.
For more information about the conference, please click here.
