TEEB Conference 2012 - Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature

TEEB Conference 2012

Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature: Challenges for Science and Implementation

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION & SUBMISSION: OCTOBER 14, 2011

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The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is a major international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and to draw together action-oriented expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy.

Within TEEB, several user-oriented reports have explored the link between economics, biodiversity and ecosystem services, providing guidance for decisions at the international, national and local levels. Issued in 2010, the TEEB reports were met with great enthusiasm. A considerable number of local, regional and national initiatives followed, developing the study’s approach further, and adapting it to local conditions and new challenges.

Two years after the TEEB reports, the Leipzig TEEB Conference 2012 will take stock of these developments, catalyze the still growing interest in the topic and strengthen the link between policy and research.

TEEB invites the research and policy community to Leipzig, Germany, to discuss the state of the art in Environmental Valuation, Ecosystem Services and Science-Policy Processes. Conference participants will have the possibility to discuss and update the findings of the TEEB study and contribute with their own findings, experiences and approaches to a new understanding of the link between economics, decision-making and the environment.

Who should attend?

In the spirit of the TEEB study, the TEEB conference reaches out to a broad audience, bridging the gap between natural and social sciences, between lay and expert knowledge, and between academic perspectives and real-life political, business and private decision processes. Therefore, scientists from natural and social sciences as well as from the humanities and legal studies, political actors, civil-society representatives and administrative officials are encouraged to attend the conference.

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Conference Themes

The conference represents an occasion to take stock of the latest contributions in the field of ecosystem assessment and economic valuation, and further strengthen the network of scientists and policy-makers interested in the topic.

The overarching theme of the conference is the integration of nature’s economic costs and benefits into decision tools and processes, at the interface between science and policy. The conference encourages contributions that go beyond the technical aspects of assessment techniques, valuation methods and available instruments, and rather explore their use in real-life situations and processes.

Participants can submit abstracts for individual contributions (400 words) and proposals for 90 minute sessions (1200 word). An online platform will soon be available on this website.

Conference Theme 1 – Demonstrating and leveraging the value of nature at the national and regional level

Nation states and regions worldwide have started assessing the size and value of the natural capital within their territories, integrating such measures in a number of strategic and day-to-day decisions. Some of these experiences were collected in the TEEB study, but many more have flourished in the meantime. The conference welcomes contributions presenting and discussing approaches, objectives, scientific challenges and both interim and final results of similar initiatives. The conference will offer the opportunity for an exchange of experiences between ongoing initiatives.

Conference Theme 2 – Mainstreaming the value of Biodiversity: TEEB and the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The 10th Conference of the Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity has acknowledged the TEEB study, and many similar initiatives at national and regional level, as an important step against further biodiversity loss. Indeed, COP10 documents stress the need to redirect incentives and correct counterproductive subsidies and policies. National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, on their part, are required to put forward instruments and mechanisms for the achievement of the Convention’s objectives. The conference welcomes contributions reporting on the development of such instruments and highlighting the role of valuing nature in their respective design and implementation phases.

Conference Theme 3 – Nature in the city: ecosystem services in local planning and urban development

Acknowledging the importance of ecosystem services is a promising new trend in local policy and urban management. An increasing number of local communities and city councils have come to realize that nature gives a strong contribution to both the well-being of their citizen and the competitiveness of their businesses. The conference welcomes contributions addressing challenges and opportunities for considering ecosystem services in local planning and urban development practices. Particular attention will be given to contributions exploring the link between local decisions and global processes and/or highlighting the role of particular context specificities when applying instruments.