Burundi joins Promote Pollinators during #IPBES7
Burundi joined Promote Pollinators during #IPBES7
On Wednesday 1 May, Burundi joined the international coalition Promote Pollinators. By signing the declaration they affirm their intent to take action and implement a national strategy to protect pollinating species threatened with extinction. This brings the total of signatories to 25.
The seventh session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (#IPBES7) at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France was the backdrop for this special event. On Wednesday 1 May, the secretariat of
Promote Pollinators hosted a Sign-up Event to welcome new members. Burundi presented the national situation of pollinators. Burundi is very rich in plant and animal species and also very diverse in natural ecosystems. So a large diversity of pollinators is supported - for instance bees, birds and even monkeys. This is important for food security. But the biodiversity is under threat. For example deforestation, pollution and climate change are pressures on natural systems. There is a lack of public awareness about the services provided by pollinators and limited capacity for research. That’s why Burundi has adopted a national development plan. National actions include reforestation, which involves the whole nation. Though it is making great efforts, Burundi cannot do this all by itself. It is looking for international cooperation by participating in the coalition Promote Pollinators.
As a representative of the founding partners Horst Korn from Germany warmly welcomed Burundi as a new member. The members who participated in the session expressed their interest in learning from Burundi and look forward to fruitful collaboration.
Promote Pollinators
The IPBES assessment report on pollinators concludes that pollinators play a key role in the conservation of biological diversity, ecosystems, food production and the global economy. It also concludes that the effects of current human activities hamper animal pollination. For this reason, a group of countries has started actively cooperating in an international coalition on the protection of pollinators, named Promote Pollinators. Members of Promote Pollinators are committed to:
● Taking action to protect pollinators and their habitats by developing and
implementing national pollinator strategies;
● Sharing experience and lessons learnt;
● Reaching out to seek collaboration with a broad spectrum of stakeholders;
● Developing research on pollinator conservation; and
● Mutually supporting and collaborating with each other.
Any country that is willing to join Promote Pollinators is welcome to do so. There is no formal procedure, except for signing the declaration. Read more on www.promotepollinators.org .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This press statement was sent by the secretariat of Promote Pollinators 2 May 2019.
Contact: [email protected].
