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BOTSWANA ENVIRONMENT & DEVELOPMENT
FORUM - to be launched in autumn 2006
The Forum is a Seminar series convened by IUCN
Botswana and The Department of Environmental Science, University
of Botswana.
Botswana faces major environment and development challenges
of an arid country such as land degradation, climate change,
water scarcity and pollution, along with the lack of institutional
capacity to implement sound policies and strategies. Communication,
dialogue and collaboration have been identified as important
management tools to address environmental issues. IUCN Botswana
is together with the Department of Environmental Science at
the University of Botswana - an IUCN member, launching an
Environment & Development Forum in the form of a Seminar Series,
where there will be opportunities to listen to and discuss
a variety of relevant topics with experts, researchers, practitioners,
policy and decision-makers. The Forum is designed to act as
a platform for information sharing, dialogue and networking
to improve policy-making, planning and management of Botswana's
natural resources for sustainable development.
Botswana Environment & Development Forum - enabling Communication, dialogue
and networking
Mission
The mission of the Environment & Development Forum is to:
"Provide a platform for information exchange and dialogue
to address key environmental challenges and thus facilitate
communication and collaboration between all stakeholders involved".
The achievement of this mission will bring about the improved
awareness of environmental issues and ongoing projects, as
well as an increased understanding amongst stakeholders of
existing and emerging environmental policies, and how these
could be further improved. In addition to that, an increase
in networking and collaboration can build capacity and generate
processes to encourage and enable good environmental management
in Botswana for sustainable development.
Design of the Seminars The Seminars will be designed to facilitate communication, dialogue and networking.
Communication -
Information sharing, advising and raising awareness
The Forum will communicate, among other things, the activities that IUCN and its members are carrying out. This includes presentations of local, national and regional programmes that have implications or opportunities for Botswana. Information will be provided of what environmental networks exist and are ongoing, and what organisations are active. As different stakeholders will be invited under the same theme or topic, a diverse range of information will be shared and exchanged that can serve as advice for policy makers or other interested professionals.
Dialogue
The Forum will be a meeting point for experts, researchers, practitioners, policy and decision-makers coming into the dialogue with different expertise. By inviting representatives from different sectors and disciplines there is an opportunity to discuss a topic from different viewpoints that will inform issues from many different perspectives, identify areas for integration and gaps in understanding. The Seminars could in that way identify further needs for communication and collaboration between different sectors.
Networking - for collaboration
The Forum will provide a useful opportunity to meet and network under specific topics. The Seminars would provide a way for people to meet and share information and update each other on upcoming initiatives and proposals and this will facilitate the building of partnerships and collaboration. Innovative partnerships will be encouraged through actively involving stakeholders in the Seminars such as private sector, economic and social disciplines and professionals.
Content of the Seminars
The themes and topics covered below are listed to provide a framework for the contents of the Seminars. However, they are flexible and will be adapted from time to time to suit current environmental & developmental debates.
Overall themes
q Environmental conservation & management
q Sustainable livelihoods
q Trade and Environment
q Policy & Legislation
q Biodiversity and Governance
q Gender issues and HIV and Aids
q Valuation of ecosystem goods & services
q Tourism and Biodiversity
q Climate change and adaptation
q Dryland challenges
Suggested topics
· Economic valuation of the ecosystem goods and services in the Okavango Delta
· Presenting the ODMP - Okavango Delta Management Plan
· What are the IUCN Programme areas in Southern Africa?
· The World Conservation Learning Network
· The Johannesburg Action Plan - Are we doing enough and where are we? .
· Vision 2016 and the Environment: What are the challenges and opportunities?
· Developing markets for Veldproducts
· The IUCN Drylands Programme
· Medicinal Plants / ABS issues
· Status of CBNRM in Botswana
· Impact of HIV and Aids on CBNRM
Launch For the Launching of the Forum, UB-DES and IUCN Botswana will host a Seminar with a keynote address by a prominent speaker from the Government of Botswana and IUCN. The speakers would also present the idea behind the Seminar Series and Forum to the audience.
The first Seminar is likely to take place in late September - first week of October.
Venue
University of Botswana will host the venue, which will be announced with the particular seminar.
Please e-mail comments & questions to IUCN Botswana
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