Tunis — Tunisian civil society organisations, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will take part in Africa Conservation Forum, due June 24-28 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Organised by the IUCN Africa Conservation Forum (ACF) in partnership with the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, under the theme: "African solutions for nature and people - creating transformative responses to the biodiversity and climate crisis in Africa."
Tunisia, through the Ministry of Local Affairs and the Environment, is working with the IUCN to draw up "National Red Lists" aimed at preserving forests, birds and vascular plants in Tunisia, with the support of a team of experts from IUCN-Med.
International conservation specialists met in Tunisia on several occasions to assess the possibility of creating a "National Red List" of threatened species and another of threatened ecosystems.
The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is a tool to assess the conservation status of ecosystems. It is based on scientific criteria for performing evidence-based analyses of the risk of ecosystem collapse, including changes in geographical distribution and the degradation of the key elements of ecosystems.
According to the IUCN, a final assessment of the research conducted in Tunisia by the experts for the common definition of ecosystem units will be ready in October.
A National Red List of animal or plant species will provide the Tunisian authorities with key information on the status of species within the country's borders. This information could be used directly by national conservation and planning policies to foster effective protection of biodiversity.
This approach will also help Tunisia, as part of its National Biodiversity Strategy 2018-2030, to assist nations in measuring progress towards international convention commitments, such as the 2020 Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Indeed, participation in the first IUCN Africa Conservation Forum is an opportunity for Tunisian NGOs to explore new partnerships for the implementation of sustainable financing solutions for conservation projects.
At the regional level, the organisers of the event plan to conclude, after a week of debates, consultations and parallel events, with roadmaps for the implementation of various solutions to better conserve African flora and fauna in a context of climate change.
IUCN is convening the Africa Conservation Forum (ACF) which is one of the leading regional platforms to strategically influence the sustainability agenda and biodiversity conservation.
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The Forum brings together IUCN Members and multi stakeholders to discuss some of the most pressing environmental conservation issues in Africa. It also provides an avenue for sharing information and knowledge, building partnerships, and connecting key stakeholders from different parts of Africa.
The IUCN Africa Conservation Forum is organised by the three IUCN offices according to sub-regions in Africa: West and Central Africa (PACO), North Africa (Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation - MED), and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO).
