29 June 2011
UNDP and Japan Launch Satoyama Initiative
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The Government of Japan and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have launched the Satoyama Initiative, adopted at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Through this initiative, rural communities in 11 countries will receive small grants through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement biodiversity-friendly natural resource management and farming systems.

27 June 2011: The Government of Japan and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a five-year partnership programme to promote the Satoyama Initiative and practices. Through this initiative, rural communities in 11 countries will receive small grants through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement biodiversity-friendly natural resource management and farming systems.

The Satoyama Initiative was adopted at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and launched on 27 June 2011.

Participants from the selected countries – Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Fiji, India, Malawi, Nepal, Slovakia and Turkey – will learn to apply “time-honoured agro-ecological practices,” and to learn new techniques and exchange knowledge on traditional farming systems and the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources.

The CBD Secretariat will work with UNDP to analyze the impacts of Satoyama activities and use this knowledge to feed the current international policy debate with respect to the Convention. Through the Convention’s Japan Biodiversity Fund, the Satoyama Initiative is expected to provide US$2 million to support communities to implement best practices and share knowledge. [UNDP Press Release] [Website of Satoyama Initiative]

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