November 2010: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated information, including links to presentations, videos and photos, from the inaugural “Rio Conventions’ Ecosystems and Climate Change Pavilion,” held from 18-28 October 2010 on the margins of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the CBD in Nagoya, Japan.

The Pavilion is a collaborative outreach activity involving the Rio Convention Secretariats with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other partners. In Nagoya, the Pavilion demonstrated through thematic presentations, workshops and the web various challenges and opportunities facing biodiversity and land managers resulting from the projected adverse impacts of climate change. Parties and organizations profiled their activities linking three areas: 1) biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, 2) sustainable land management and efforts to combat desertification, and 3) climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Pavilion aimed to demonstrate the benefits of implementing the Conventions. Activities were organized around daily themes, including: protected areas and climate change; indigenous and local communities; the linked benefits of forests; water, ecosystems and climate change; dryland biodiversity (Land Day 3 – The Nexus Between Biodiversity and Desertification); the economics of biodiversity and ecosystems services; ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation; and enhancing synergies for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. [The Pavilion website]