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The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is hosting an “International
Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium” (ITMEMS) in Cozumel,
Mexico on October 16-20, 2006.
The Governments of Japan, Mexico, and Republic of Palau support the symposium,
which has been dubbed ITMEMS 3. The symposium will bring together a broad
range of stakeholders working for the protection of coral reefs and related
marine
ecosystems to:
Share knowledge and practical experiences;
Identify gaps and make informed
recommendations on management approaches; and
Define future priorities—at
local and global scales—for better
managing coral reefs and related ecosystems for the next five to ten
years.
Thirteen themes that are integral to supporting GEF’s strategic priorities
in the biodiversity focal area have been finalized, through a consultative
process conducted in virtual mode:
• Building resilience into coral reef management
• Disaster management, restoration,
and rehabilitation
• Enforcement and investigation
• Fisheries and aquaculture
• Pollution (and disease) management
• Information and knowledge
management
• Monitoring, reporting, and evaluation
• Communication, education,
and awareness
• Integrated and participatory strategies for coral reef conservation
and
sustainable use
• Sustainable tourism • Economic valuation of marine natural resources
• Partnerships and
strategic alliances
• Sustainable financing
Because local governance is critical to successful conservation efforts,
a specialized panel discussion will link mayors from across the globe
to discuss
challenges of local governance of tropical ecosystems, and thereby
facilitate the integration of symposium outcomes into environmental
considerations
and actions at a local level.
ITMEMS 3 is an excellent opportunity to showcase examples from the
GEF biodiversity portfolio. To this end, managers and stakeholders
from countries’ projects
or from other relevant partner programs and initiatives are encouraged to participate.
An opportunity may also be available for participants to attend a two to three
day field trip to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve to visit a cluster
of community projects with important marine components.
In keeping with the spirit and objective of the meeting to serve
as a practical, hands-on opportunity to share applied experiences,
the
organizers
hope
that participants from a diverse range of continents and countries
will attend
the symposium.
Please mark your calendars. For more information, please see: www.itmems.org or contact the ICRAN coordinator: Penny Stock, pstock@itmems.org
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