On 20 October 2026, UNU-IAS will co-organize a side event at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia. The event will explore the potential of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) in advancing area-based conservation outcomes and the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Since its launch at CBD COP10 in 2010, the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) has focused on conservation outcomes in SEPLS. Some SEPLS are already designated as protected areas or are likely to contribute to sustainable agriculture, fisheries and restoration, and some may be recognized as other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).
Being part of SEPLS is not sufficient for OECM recognition: areas must be assessed against criteria consistent with the relevant CBD decision. The event will discuss the potential of areas where humans and nature interact in mutually reinforcing ways to support more effective and inclusive conservation.
Participation
This event is open to all participants of CBD COP17 Blue Zone.
Please note that participants in UNU events may appear in photography, screen captures, videos and/or audio. For further information please refer to Events.
Organizers
This event is co-organized by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), IUCN-WCPA, UNU-IAS, CBD Secretariat, Ministry of the Environment Japan (MOEJ) and UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme.
Programme
The programme is subject to change.
18:15–18:18 Welcome
- Ulrika Åberg (IUCN)
18:19–18:24 Opening Remarks
- Kohei Kiname (Deputy Director, Office for Local Nature-positive Transition, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan)
18:25–18:30 Opening Remarks
- Fumiko Nakao (Principal Coordination Officer, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity)
18:31–18:40 Presentation: SEPLS and the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative
- Suneetha M. Subramanian (Research Fellow and Academic Associate, UNU-IAS)
18:41–18:50 Presentation: SEPLS Case Studies with Potential for OECM Recognition
- Ulrika Åberg (IUCN)
18:51–18:56 Introduction of Speakers and Scene-setting
- Megan Lafferty (IUCN-WCPA)
18:57–19:22 Panel Discussion
Panellists:
- Rissa Edoo (UNDP)
- Yiching Song (Farmer Seed Network)
- Paulina Karim (National Dong Hwa University)
- Engin Yılmaz (Yolda Initiative)
- Lu Zhi (Shan Shui Conservation Center)
19:23–19:31 Questions and Answers
19:32–19:35 Closing
