News
FOLENS Seminar August 2010: What is Biodiversity? What is COP10? What is the Role of a Youth Leader?
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The third FOLENS seminar was held on 10 August 2010. The seminar was the first of the two preparatory sessions for the field trip to COP10 (the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity) in Nagoya, planned in October as part of the FOLENS seminar activities. Since COP10 is a major environmental event gathering wide attention of people and media in Japan, FOLENS opened this seminar also to students not enrolled in the program. Ten students, including six from FOLENS, two from Department of International Environmental and Agricultural Science, and two others, and five FOLENS staff participated in the seminar with three guest speakers.
The seminar had three goals: to learn about the background and contents of COP10 as preparation for the field trip; to meet leaders of youth activists involved in COP10 and to think about the role of young leaders in an environmental sector; and to think about our own relationships with biodiversity through an Origami activity
First, Mr. Hirotaka Matsui and Ms. Chihiro Inuzuka gave a lecture on the overview of biodiversity issues and COP10. Mr. Matsui and Ms. Inuzuka are active members of youth involved in the biodiversity-related movement. Mr. Matsui, who is also a TUAT student, particularly plays a significant role as a leader, being Director of the “Biodiversity on the Cliff!” Campaign and a committee member of Japan Civil Network for CBD. From such his viewpoint, he also proposed the five most important roles of youth leaders: to disperse information and promote education for youth, to propose policy recommendations, to hold demonstrations, to cooperate with other NGOs, and to participate in an international negotiation process.
Followed the lecture was a workshop by Ms. Makiko Imai from “Let’s Origami! COP10 Project”. The project aims to provide people an opportunity to share thoughts on how each person is connected to and can act for biodiversity issues, through making origami. While this was the first origami experience for most of the international students, the workshop also gave an opportunity for introducing Japanese culture. At the end, each participant wrote a message or a target for 2020 on an origami craft they made.
After the workshop, participants enjoyed free discussion over a cup of tea. Some of the students shared the situations in their home country and exchanged ideas on how to improve it. Some others had a discussion on the relevance of valuing species based on benefits they provide to humans.
Through this seminar, thus, participants gained important knowledge and experience to prepare them for COP10.
*An article about this seminar for an internet media “Kankyo Goo”, wrote by Ms. Imai, one of the guest speakers (only in Japanese)
http://eco.goo.ne.jp/topics/environment/world/origami/news/12.html
Comments by students
Through the seminar, I understand the importance of biodiversity, and my duty in future. I like the FOLENS seminars because I can learn topics beyond my specialty, and exchange views or ideas with others.
The talk by the young leaders was very interesting. From their speech, I can learn more about biodiversity. Moreover, they are a good example to be learned from to be a young leader in Environmental sector in the future.
Origami was also interesting. Everybody can realize how biodiversity is important for us.
“A simple basis of life; harmony and co-existence.”
My country is very rich in biodiversity. This is an excellent gift from nature. Biodiversity conservation is very important for health of ecosystem and quality of life.
So I would like to work for biodiversity conservation through sustainable use of natural resources and sustainable agriculture for my country.
My country is facing a problem of rapid losing of biodiversity. The loss of forest and illegal fishing are a hot issue needing an immediate and long-term solution. If I have a chance to work for the protection activity of biodiversity, I would like to work to improve the forest and fish resource management and restoration in my country. Finally, my dream is to see the improvement of resource management and law enforcement related to the above problem so that my people can enjoy the benefit from the resource fairly and sustainably.
| FOLENS Seminar August 2010 What is Biodiversity? What is COP10? What is the Role of a Youth Leader? | |
| Time/Date | 14:00-17:00, 10 August 2010 |
| Venue | Main Building, Room #25, Fuchu, TUAT |
| Guests | Hirotaka Matsui: Director, Biodiversity on the Cliff! Campaign/ Committee Member, Japan Civil Network for CBD/ A SEED Japan/ Student, TUAT Chihiro Inuzuka: Biodiversity on the Cliff! Campaign/ A SEED Japan/Student, Tsuda College Makiko Imai: Member, Let’s Origami! COP10 Project/ Secretariat, Japan Civil Network for CBD |
| Program | |
| 14:15- | Introduction: Today’s program and guests |
| 14:20- | Talk and Workshop by Mr. Hirotaka Matsui & Ms. Chihiro InuzukaBiodiversity on the Cliff! Campaign/ A SEED Japan |
| 15:40- | Break |
| 15:50- | “Let’s Origami! COP10 Project” Workshop by Ms. Makiko Imai |
| 16:30- | Free Discussion |
| 17:00 | Closure |