お知らせ News

第2回NCカフェ（Nature Conservation CAFE）のお知らせ

自然保護寄附講座が主催する、学生向けセミナー、「NCカフェ」の第2回目を開催します。
気取らず、ざっくばらんに、自然保護について考えるとても良い機会です。
下記の通り行いますので、講座外の学生でご興味のある方はお申込下さい。

日　時：2015年2月19日（木）14：30～15：30
場　所：筑波大学第2エリア総合研究棟A　107号室
内　容：筑波大学下田臨海実験センター　和田茂樹先生
　　　　　「海の生態系の仕組みと人間活動の影響」

※NCカフェは、自然保護寄附講座に所属する学生を対象としておりますが、
　 講座外の学生の参加も歓迎します。
※学外からのお申込は受け付けておりません。ご了承下さい。




上記チラシはこちらからダウンロードいただけます：第2回NCカフェチラシ.pdf

事務局

REPORT: The Role of International Organizations and NGOs for the Environment

On 7 and 8 December 2014, the intensive course entitled “The Role of International Organizations and NGOs” was held in Kasuga Plaza, Tsukuba.
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During the two day lecture on the role of international organisations and NGO’s a lot/wide range of information was passed on. Considering that many people have many different interests, this is a good thing, because everyone will find some point of interest within the lectures. As for my own interest, Disaster Risk Reduction was also included. For this short paper I shall start with a synthesis of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its protocols. Afterwards I will shortly address some other points raised during the lecture.

Before fully diving into the lectures a short introduction of the guest lecturer: Dr. Christine von Weizsaecker is needed, Because one needs to understand the lecturer as well as the lecture. Dr. Von Weizsaecker is a German biologist (studied in Freiburg, Köln and Edinburgh), researcher, negotiator, and environmental activist. In the mid-seventies she started working on technology assessment for civil society, and since 1994 she participated in the negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its supplementary the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.


Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The CBD, informally known as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty with three main goals: Conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); sustainable use of its components; and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. It thus aims to develop national strategies regarding conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity. At the 5th of June 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio the Janeiro the Convention was opened for signature and on the 29th of December 1993 it entered into force.

With the convention it was for the first time in international law that the conservation of biological diversity is “a common concern of humankind”, and it is also an essential part of the development process. The agreement made covers all ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. It connects traditional conservation to the economic goal of using biological resources sustainably. It shows and reminds people using natural resources that these resources are not infinite, and need to be used in a sustainable way. In the convention several principals where created for the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits that arise from the use of genetic resources. The convention is legally binding, which means that joined parties are obliged to implement its contents.

What was further mentioned during the lecture was the precautionary principle: where there is a threat of loss of biological diversity, the lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures which avoid or reduce this threat. The Convention acknowledges that substantial investments are required to conserve biological diversity. It argues, however, that conservation will bring us significant environmental, economic and social benefits in return.

The CBD also covers the expanding field of biotechnology which is mentioned in its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, it addresses technology development and transfer, benefit-sharing and biosafety issues. Dr. von Weizsaecker also thoroughly explained this protocol.


Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

The in January 2000 adopted Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention, also known as the Biosafety Protocol, pursues to protect biological diversity from potential risks by Living Modified Organisms (LMO) culminating from modern biotechnology. It furthermore makes clear that products from new technologies must be based on the precautionary principle and its should allow developing nations to balance public health against economic gains. It will for instance let parties ban imports of a genetically modified organism if the impression is raised that there is not enough scientific evidence. If the product is safe it requires exporters to label the load containing genetically modified commodities such as maize. With the trade of LMOs the Protocol is also linked to the WTO and its regulations giving this protocol a strong legal framework.

The Protocol establishes rules and conducts for the safe transfer, supervision, and use of LMOs. Parties to the Protocol must ensure that LMOs are handled, packaged and transported under conditions of safety. The LMOs who are used in trans boundary movement must be accompanied by appropriate documentation specifying the identity of LMOs and contact point for further information, and other elements. This is designed to provide importing Parties with the necessary knowledge which is needed for making informed decisions about whether or not to accept LMO imports and for dealing with them in a safe manner.


Nagoya protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing

This Protocol provides a legal framework for the implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources. By establishing more predictable conditions for the access to genetic resources the Protocol generates a better legal transparency and credibility for both the providers and users of genetic resources. It furthermore sets obligations for its contracting parties to take measures in relation to the access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and compliance. The Protocol was adopted in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force in 2014.


Further notes

Aside from learning about the convention and its associated protocols Dr. Christine von Weizsaecker brought something much more interesting namely expertise regarding international decision-making. It was her knowledge on this topic, and her unique inside information on how decision-making on an international convention takes place that really interested me. With her years of expertise within the Conference of Parties (COP), she notes that within international negotiations you have to know the correct wording, one cannot do anything alone, and compromises have to be made. On a side note she shows that even though the UN can be seen as one “company” its many departments do not cooperate with each other, in fact there are departments that work on common topics but do not know the knowledge of one another. Thus makes decision making hard because in such occasions when two different departments meet because they have common topics it is the word use that can be different or the knowledge they gained leads them towards different directions. Furthermore, the bio piracy (which is related to the execution of the convention) were also very interesting to hear and gives a nice example of how the convention and its protocols work and further develop.


Conclusion

All the information given during the lecture was new to me, which over the course of two days was quite a lot to structure. But the newly gained information about a sustainable use of Biological Resources and the legal framework (the convention and its protocols) supporting this sustainable use was, even though a lot, structured nicely and supported with many examples from personal experience, which is valuable information that I will take with me in future development. But the explanation of the execution of these conventions on international level is what I treasure most about this lectures. This insight will greatly benefit all the students pursuing a career within international corporations.


Bibliography

Berne Declaration, Bread for the World, Ecoropa, Tebtebba, Third World Network 2013. Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization: Background and Analysis. Jutaprint, Penang, Malaysia

UNEP 1993. CONVENTION on BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: text and annexes. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Canada.

UNEP 2000. CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: text and annexes. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Canada.


Websites

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. http://ernst.weizsaecker.de/lebenslauf/.
Home page: http://ernst.weizsaecker.de/en/. [last accessed: 15 December 2014].
UNEP. http://www.cbd.int/convention/guide/default.shtml?id=action.
Home page: http://www.cbd.int/. [Last accessed: 15 December 2014].
WECF. http://www.wecf.eu/english/articles/2011/02/interview_christinevonweizsaecker.php.
Home page: http://www.wecf.eu/. [Last accessed: 15 December 2014].





Reported by Anne Jelte Tiemersma, exchange student currently enrolled in the Master’s Programme in World Heritage Studies

冬季休業のお知らせ

筑波大学自然保護寄付講座事務局は、誠に勝手ながら、下記の日程で冬季休業とさせていただきます。
期間　：　2014年12月27日(土)～2015年1月4日(日)
お問い合わせへのお返事等は、1月5日より順次行って参ります。何卒ご理解のほど、よろしくお願いいたします。

事務局

先日、第1回NCカフェ(ネイチャーコンサベーションカフェ）が開催されました！
今回は事務局・遠藤も参加させていただいたのですが、とても素晴らしいセミナーとなりましたので、レポートさせていただきます

今回お呼びした先生は、NPO法人つくば環境フォーラム代表の、田中ひとみさんです。
NPO法人つくば環境フォーラムは、「自然と人との共存」をめざし、2001年に設立された団体です。
（つくば環境フォーラムのホームページはこちらをクリック→つくば環境フォーラム）
今回のNCカフェでは、つくば環境フォーラムが一体どの様な活動をしているのか？どうやって活動しているのか？
そして、田中ひとみさんがどの様な考え方で活動をしているのかを、ざっくばらんにお話していただきました。

NPO法人つくば環境フォーラムは、主に一般の方向けの活動、企業向けの活動、専門家を交えての調査活動を行っており、ボランティアで活動に参加してもらったり、有償で活動に参加してもらう等、様々な方法で組織を運営しています。
活動に参加される個人や団体の目的は様々ですが、ひとつひとつのニーズにしっかり答え、お互いに利益のある関係作りを行っているという印象を受けました。
つくば環境フォーラムが開催している活動ひとつひとつが、身近な自然を保護し、自然と人が上手に共存できる環境を整えています。

若い世代の人々が実際に自然に触れられる環境や機会をつくり、自然の素晴らしさを知ってほしい。そして「豊かな自然環境を引き継いでいく」という思いを持って欲しい、という田中さんの訴えに、参加した学生達も熱心に聞き入っていました。
カフェの中では、気になることがあれば質問をしたり、学生が自分の考え方や感想を伝えたりと、終始なごやかな雰囲気で進み、とても有意義なセミナーとなりました。

NCカフェは今後も開催予定です
詳細が決まり次第、随時こちらのホームページで公開致します。
自然保護寄附講座受講生だけでなく、筑波大学の学生はご参加いただけますので、
是非ご興味のある方は、ご参加下さい！



事務局　遠藤