On October 10, 2023, "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Promoting a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sector (TEEBAgriFood) Project (China): High-Level Closing Forum" was successfully held at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR, CAS) in Beijing. It was organized by the IGSNRR, CAS; Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) of China; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) TEEB Office; and UNEP-IEMP.
This forum is part of the project “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Promoting a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sector” (TEEBAgriFood), funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented globally by the UNEP. It aims to promoting sustainable agricultural transformation and biodiversity conservation in project implementing countries (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand) through nature-based economic assessment. Coordinated by UNEP-IEMP, the work of the project in China was jointly organized and implemented by the MEE and CAS. Through five years, TEEBAgriFood assessment was carried out in one of the national “Green is Gold” practice innovation bases, Tengchong city of Yunnan province, and Heilongjiang Province. The event took place in the context of the implementation of the "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" (KMGBF) and focused on the sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems. The discussions were centered on various subjects, such as mainstreaming biodiversity, the multiple objectives of agricultural and food systems transformation, and the opportunities, challenges, and pathways for transformation.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Ning Liu (MEE) emphasized that the promotion of a sustainable transformation in agriculture and food systems is of utmost importance as issues related to the utilization of biological resources, land use changes, and pollution within agricultural and food systems are among the primary factors contributing to biodiversity loss. Biodiversity is the core element that sustains the health of our planet, human well-being, and economic prosperity and the KMGBF, adopted during the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022, has reinforced global consensus on biodiversity conservation.
Mr. Laurent Bardon (EU Delegation to China) highly praised the results of the TEEBAgriFood. He pointed out that the project promotes the integration of the value of nature into the relevant decisions of the agricultural food systems, and made a positive contribution to Goal 10 (sustainable management of agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry) and Goal 14 (mainstreaming of biodiversity) of the KMGBF.
Mr. Shenglin Wang (IGSNRR, CAS) and Mr. Yan Zhuang (International Cooperation Bureau, CAS) congratulated the achievements of the project and affirmed the positive role of UNEP-IEMP in effectively coordinating and promoting the successful implementation of the project. The TEEBAgriFood Project (China) was acclaimed as a good practice of science for policy to support China’s sustainable development through cross-sectoral cooperation between the UNEP, MEE, and CAS, with guidance from experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Mr. Salman Hussain (UNEP TEEB Office) underscored that externalities lie at the heart of the issue but often unacknowledged in the value chain of the agri-food systems and this is the driving force behind UNEP's TEEBAgriFood program, which is devoted to incorporating a systems thinking approach and nature- and society-based economics into decision-making within agri-food systems.
During the course of the forum, several topics were presented around the outcomes of the TEEBAgriFood Project in China and in the context of the implementation of the KMGBF. These included the TEEBAgriFood assessments in the public sector (in Tengchong City of Yunnan Province and in Heilongjiang Province) and in the private sector; whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in promoting the KMGBF in China; and mainstreaming the diverse values of biodiversity and nature’s contribution to people. Panel discussions were organized with representatives from local governments, universities and research institutes, businesses and social organizations sharing views on the multiple goals of agri-food systems transformation and facilitating the transformation.
Ms. Linxiu Zhang, Director of the UNEP-IEMP, in her concluding remarks at the Forum, raised the expectation that the application of systems thinking would continue to be promoted to improve the knowledge of decision makers on the relationship between agriculture, the environment and society, and to support the development of sustainable decision making, so as to make the socio-economic activities more friendly to biodiversity.
The forum also released the "TEEBAgriFood China Demonstration Achievement Promotional Video". With both online and offline participation, the forum was attended by more than 200 representatives from governments, international organizations, education and research institutions, and the private sector.
This forum was well covered by media, please see below links.
The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB): Promoting a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sector (China) High-level Closing Forum successfully held.
https://bm.cnfic.com.cn/sharing/share/articleDetail/173338398/1
What can agri-food systems do for biodiversity conservation? Find out at this high-level forum!
