A side event at COP15 titled “The Wisdom of Symbiosis: The Tradition, Contribution and Future of Biodiversity Conservation by Local Communities” was successfully held at the China Pavilion on Nov 9 in Montreal, Canada.
The event was organized by the Peking University Center for Nature and Society and Shan Shui Conservation Center.
Xu Guangli, secretary-general of CEPF, shared his thoughts on the importance of the symbiosis between local communities and biodiversity.
“Local communities are closely linked to the local ecosystem and are the most important and direct stakeholders in biodiversity conservation. They should not only make their voices fully heard in the discussions of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) but also use their traditional culture and knowledge to protect local biodiversity and share their wisdom and experience with various other stakeholders.”
Experts from the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, the ICCA Consortium, and Yale University gave keynote speeches at the pavilion, sharing inspiring experiences and stories of how local communities can be engaged in biodiversity conservation.
During the roundtable discussion, when asked how local people can be supported in their efforts to preserve local species, Samuel King, a researcher at Yale University, said, “we must stand in their shoes, try to understand their world view and respect their subjectivity.”
