The IUCN UK Peatland Programme, alongside Scottish Environment LINK, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Wetlands International and other partners, are actively promoting peatlands at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii (1-10th September).
Held once every four years, the Congress brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business and academia, with the goal of conserving the environment and harnessing the solutions nature offers to global challenges.
Peatland management is being highlighted and debated in both parts of the congress. During the initial ‘Forum’ sessions an interactive poster on the Peatland Code will allow interested parties to explore the workings of the Peatland Code and the background to peatland science and restoration in the UK. Partners to the IUCN UK Peatland Programme are showcased through a series of short videos embedded in the poster. In addition to this, a round-table debate, chaired by Stuart Brooks (Vice Chair of the IUCN UK PP), will explore key issues and identify agreed next steps, highlighting the relevant institutions and policy mechanisms.
Following on from the forum is a ‘Members Assembly’ where IUCN members worldwide will come together to debate conservation topics that have been raised and approved as motions. IUCN UK Peatland Programme and partners have submitted a motion entitled ‘Securing a future for global peatlands’ with the main outcome requested being for IUCN to:
“prepare draft legislation for nations to use as a guideline recommending how to preserve and restore peatlands and how to include them alongside forests in all relevant intergovernmental agreements relating to climate change, geodiversity and biodiversity”.
The IUCN will formally adopt successful motions as IUCN resolutions or recommendations. We hope to be able to update you on the status of the global peatland motion in our monthly newsletters.
