Report

FOLENS Seminar November 2010: Follow-up for COP10-CBD in October/ Preparation for Charcoal & Satoyama Workshop in December

1. Review-session of CBD-COP10

As to review the October FOLENS Seminar of visiting the 10th Meeting of Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, a summary was presented by Taka Furuichi, Associate Professor of FOLENS. The review first recalled the objectives of visiting CBD-COP10 and students activities in the venues. Then, three major outputs of the Conference were identified, namely (1) Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, (2) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011-2020 (Aichi Target), and (3) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The summary concluded that CBD-COP10 appeared to be successful by achieving the three major and other various important outputs of the conference.

Reporting presentations by student-groups followed in the seminar:

Group A: Role of international organizations in environmental issues in COP10 (Govinda Tililsina, Mitsutoshi Fuke, Pham Quynh)

Group B: The importance of agricultural biodiversity and how to gain back its loss (Ei Ei Theint, Tomoya Watanabe, Kojiro Shimada)

Group C: Comparison of approaches of developed countries with developing countries in applying biodiversity convention (Soklin Pheng, Tomoko Makita, Bessy Kho)

Group D: Investigation of standpoints for genetic resource use between developed and developing countries (Kei Kondo, Roeurn Siranet)

Active, stimulating discussion occurred after each presentation which proved students’ positive participation in the CBD-COP visit. The three-day CBD-COP10 trip was also an opportunity for students to become to know each other, which FOLENS is subject to provide with. Overall, experiencing CBD-COP10 seemed to become a successful, key field activity of FOLENS in 2010.

2. Preview-session of Charcoal and Satoyama for Sustainable Environment and Agriculture

As to preview December FOLENS Seminar of visiting the Tsukui Field Museum of TUAT in Kanagawa-Prefecture, Japan, a preview briefing was provided by Hirokazu Ozaki, Assistant Professor of FOLENS. Primary objectives of the visit would be learning principles of charcoal production, environmental applications of charcoal, the concept of Satoyama as background of charcoal production as well as of Japanese rural landscape, community and their changes. Students were also expected to consider similar issues in Asia and Africa regions. Principles and method of charcoal production was introduced, brief guide of the Tsukui Field Museum was presented, and an example of overseas extension (in Vietnam) of charcoal production was explained. The December seminar in the Tsukui Field Museum will be collaborated with the 2nd international symposium of FOLENS, a class of Graduate School of Agriculture ‘The environment and sustainable society in Asia and Africa’, and JICA training program ‘Rehabilitation of degraded lands in Asia and Africa’. It is scheduled to be on 6 December 2010. (tf)

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