Climate and Biodiversity Symposium

dublin | environment | event notice Friday April 27, 2007 17:03 by Nicola Doppio - Cultivate Centre Dublin

"Energising Us All To Take Action"

Tuesday May 22nd | 9.30am - 4.

Cultivate Living & Learning Centre
15-19 Essex Street West |Temple Bar | Dublin 8 | Republic Of Ireland
Ph: +353 (0)1 674 5773
www.cultivate.ie

The IPCC has warned that rising greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures will lead to an increase in weather catastrophes such as hotter summers, warmer winters, droughts, melting of glaciers, rising of sea levels, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, and flooding. This timely event will explore what affects this will have on biodiversity and what we can do both globally and locally and as individuals and nations.

National Biodiversity Week is part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government’s Notice Nature campaign to promote greater awareness of our natural environment and encourage people to take action on biodiversity loss.

This day will explain why we must take biodiversity into account in our climate planning and attempt to find the synergies across sectors and strategies.

Topics include: Links between Biodiversity and Climate Change, Biodiversity Impacts on International Development, How Ecosystems Protect Us from Climate Extremes, Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan, Taking Local and Personal Action.

With presentations by: Matthew Jebb, National Botanic Gardens; Billy Flynn, Irish Wildlife Trust; Anja Murray, An Taisce; Eanna ni Lamhna, Naturalist & Broadcaster; Karen Dubski, Coastwatch and Coleman Criordain, National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Special events: Coastwatch Awards Ceremony and a picnic lunch and garden tour

The links between biodiversity and climate change run both ways: biodiversity is threatened by human-induced climate change but, biodiversity resources can reduce the impacts of climate change on people and production:

• the conservation of habitats can reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Currently deforestation is estimated to be responsible for 20% of human-induced CO2 emissions,

• conserving certain species such as mangroves and drought resistant crops can reduce the disastrous impacts of climate change effects such as flooding and famine, and

• the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can strengthen ecosystem resilience, improving the ability of ecosystems to provide critical services in the face of increasing climatic pressures.

Source: The Convention on Biological Diversity