10 December 2012: The latest issue of the Global Island Partnership’s (GLISPA) “Event Spotlight” features two events that took place on 16 October 2012 in Hyderabad, India, on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The events are: “Island Bright Spots: Exchanging Innovations and Successes;” and “Island Life: Celebrating Leadership and Commitment to Action.”

“Island Bright Spots” focused on “initiatives that work” and how they might be scaled and replicated. Among the initiatives highlighted were the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, Hawaii’s Green Growth Initiative, the Regional Biodiversity Plan for Micronesia, locally managed marine areas in Fiji, and small-scale fisheries management that led to ecosystem-based adaptation in Madagascar.

According to GLISPA, what made these initiatives work were: leadership and champions at multiple levels of engagement; sharing and inclusion; engaging stakeholders with complementary capacity-building; and “having the right revenue stream.” Suggested next steps included coordinating a collective global policy effort on invasive species, creating a database on invasive species eradication “bright spots,” and creating a way to share bright spots between regions and creating linkages.

The “Island Life” event celebrated leadership and commitment to action by island countries and countries with islands in addressing island biodiversity issues. It highlighted: the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund; Deputy Premier Kedrick Pickering of the British Virgin Islands; Marshall Islands Minister in Assistance to the President Tony de Brum; New Caledonia’s Member of the European Parliament, Maurice Ponga; the Chair of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, William Alia; Ecuador’s Director of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula; UN Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Rebecca Grynspan; and Global Environment Facility (GEF) CEO Naoko Ishii.

This issue of “Event Spotlight” also summarized the COP11 Decision on Island Biodiversity, which it characterizes as “a tremendous opportunity for islands to continue their work as leaders in achieving the Aichi targets.” [Publication: Event Spotlight]