The world’s first UN Global Business of Forests Symposium will be held in London on 28 November 2011, attracting leading experts from industry, government and conservation from around the globe to address how business can help to tackle forest biodiversity loss.
The event and exhibition, hosted by the 2nd Global Business of Biodiversity Symposium, is generating high-profile support.
Among the many contributors is the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Caroline Spelman, the European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potocnik, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).
Jan McAlpine, UNFF Director says, “Providing a forum for business representatives from paper, pulp, timber and finance industries, with policymakers and environmental leaders, [this] is a positive step in raising awareness of the importance of forests in delivering essential benefits and services for people everywhere”.
Rainforest Alliance Senior Vice President of Programs, Mohammed Rafiq, will Chair a conference on ‘Assuring Sustainability – Pulp, Paper, Timber and Packaging’, to explore ‘assurance’ as an imperative to sustainability. The session will bring opinions from the following panellists:
- FSC, Andre de Freitas, CEO
- NEPCon, Peter Feilberg, CEO
- BP, Justin Adams, Vice President Strategy and Ventures in BP's Alternative
- Rainforest Alliance, Edward Millard, Director Sustainable Landscapes
- Mondi Group, Peter Gardiner, Natural Resources Manager
Taking place within the UN-declared International Year of Forests, this debate is highly important to business in advance of next year’s UN Summit on Sustainable Development Rio+20 set to take place in Brazil.
John Brown, Global Business of Biodiversity Symposium Event Director says, "The decline in ecosystem services poses major risks to business and is an issue that should be considered from the board room down”.
“As ecological services deteriorate, the security of supply can be threatened, operating margins squeezed and license to operate put at far greater risk. Just as climate mitigation and adaptation have spurred the development of new environmental markets and business models, biodiversity conservation likewise offers significant opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs. This symposium draws together a host of experts from across many sectors to address these issues, and in particular advise business on the most effective ways of dealing with them.”
The joint symposium will also preview the Earthscan publication of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Business and Enterprise (TEEB), due to be published on 15 December 2011.
The report will serve as a comprehensive and essential tool for decision-makers in the business sector concerned with their organisation’s relationship with natural capital and its impacts on long-term financial and ecological sustainability.
Outcomes of all discussions during the event will be captured and communicated to policy makers at the 11th CBD Conference of the Parties
(COP11) in October 2012.
Registration has now opened with early bird discounts for a short period of time. The Symposium will take place on 28 November 2011 at IET Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL, UK.
Visit the conference website: www.gbob.co/events
To register, please visit: www.regonline.co.uk/gbob
Based on: GBOB and GBOF joint press release 11/2011
Related article:
Study unveils strong business case for responsible forestry (11/12 2010)
Cancún climate talks led to sound forest deal (15/03 2010)