Asia is home to extraordinary biodiversity – with five of its countries considered to be among the world’s 17 mega-diverse and eight of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots found in the region. Nature is at the heart of Asian culture and is also a source of livelihood for millions of people in the region. Unfortunately, these resources are increasingly at risk as rapid socioeconomic and urban growth put increasing strain on the ecosystems that sustain them. The last few years have seen natural disasters increasing, marine plastics progressively creeping into our food chain, and local jobs that depend on healthy ecosystems being threatened.

In November 2019, approximately 500 representatives of governments, NGOs and the business sector from across Asia will come together in Islamabad for the IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum (RCF). The representatives will discuss how they can work together to deal with Asia’s pressing environmental issues, share best practices, and make decisions on a joint programme of action to improve how societies manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.

The Regional Conservation Forum will bring together a critical mass of this Membership from across the region, together with key IUCN partners. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), Government of Pakistan and the National Committee of IUCN Members in Pakistan, the Forum provides a unique platform to discuss innovative conservation approaches, share regional experiences and build partnerships for future action.

In addition to Membership decisions and debate, panel discussions will bring together diverse perspectives from leading thinkers, grassroots organizations, decision-makers and industry leaders. Through the discussions, IUCN Members will have an opportunity to help set the context for the organization’s next programme, with outcomes from the Regional Forum feeding into the next IUCN World Conservation Congress – the world’s leading platform for creating change for conservation and sustainable development – which will take place from June 11-19, 2020 in Marseille, France.

The representative of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) has been invited to the RCF 2019. Stayed tuned for more updated from this remarkable event.

(Photo credit: IUCN)

By / Maggie