Conferences

Past: Using communications to make environmentally sustainable development happen California (USA) 1-2 November 1996

GreenCOM and a set of co-sponsors held an international workshop at the NAAEE Annual Conference in Burlingame, California, that attracted nearly 150 participants from around the world. The workshop theme, 'Using communication to make environmentally sustainable development happen', helped focus presentations and discussions on the many ways that education and communication strategies are used to help solve environmental problems in the developing world. The workshop was designed to enable participants to present ideas, exchange project reports, and discuss what they have learned through their own efforts in this area. The lessons learned from participants' projects will be assembled in a document to help guide the donor community in funding environmental education and communication projects. Forty-four presentations were given during 12 concurrent sessions on the following topics: capacity-building methods and information transfer, youth action projects, environmental communication strategies, environmental education strategies, institutionalizing environmental education, community resources, enhancing school programmes, public participation in environmental action, protecting the environment with policy and behaviour, and curriculum development and training. Presentations were kept short to allow time for questions and discussion. A total of 53 people gave presentations on projects being conducted in 24 countries and 5 regions. Plenary sessions began each day of the two-day workshop. A final plenary session closed the conference following roundtable discussion in groups. Each group generated themes and ideas for inclusion in a workshop document. Individual presentations dealt with communication techniques (e.g., radio, Internet, puppet shows), teacher-training programmes in rural areas, participatory community activities for wetlands protection, the translation and re-design of materials, and policy for community-based forestry. Each presentation was followed by discussion. In their overall evaluations of the workshop, the participants were extremely positive. GreenCOM intends to compile the presentations and discussions into a booklet for the donor community on the lessons that have been learned regarding the education and communication strategies that work best in the developing world. With the booklet in mind, participants commented on the sessions, presenters contributed their papers, rapporteurs recorded the discussion at each session, and the discussion groups identified key themes. (Martha Monroe) Contact: Dana Inerfeld GreenCom, 1255 23rd Street NW, Washington DC 20037, USA. Tel. +1-202-884-8911, Fax: +1-202-884-8997. E-mail: greencom@aed.org

Ethnoveterinary medicine: alternatives for livestock development Pune (India) 4-6 November 1997

Farmers and livestock raisers throughout the developing world rely on traditional practices to keep their animals healthy. Such 'ethnoveterinary medicine' includes the use of medicinal plants, surgical techniques and management practices to prevent and treat livestock diseases. Interest in ethnoveterinary medicine has risen rapidly over the last decade. Scientists and development professionals recognize its potential as an alternative or complement to Western-style veterinary medicine, which is often too expensive and culturally inappropriate. But ethnoveterinary medicine is still under-used in development work. A major reason is the lack of links that would make it possible to learn from the successes and failures of others. The international conference 'Ethnoveterinary medicine: Alternatives for livestock development' seeks to foster an exchange of information on ethnoveterinary medicine and a sharing of field experience, and to identify research priorities and needs in the field. The conference is open to participants from non-governmental and governmental organizations. They can include veterinarians and animal scientists, extensionists, social scientists and economists, ethnoveterinary practitioners, ethnobotanists, representatives of the private sector, and policy-makers. The conference language is English. Participants are invited to submit papers on the following topics: Research:


To encourage field practitioners to share their experiences, papers do not need to follow a specific structure or style. Interested participants should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words to the organizing committee for review. Accepted papers will receive 15-20 minutes each for presentation and discussion. Participants are welcome to organize special 90-minute workshops, and to develop exhibits and other contributions for a resource- and information-sharing event. For further information, please contact: Dr. D.V. Rangnekar, BAIF, PO Box 2030, Asarwa Road, Ahmedabad 380 016, Gujarat State, India. Fax: +91-79-212 3045.

Past: Ethnobiology and the conservation of cultural and biological diversity Nairobi (Kenya) 2-6 September 1996

The 5th International Congress on Ethnobiology (ICE) was the first to be held in Africa. It took place at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi (Kenya). Earlier ICE conferences were held in Brazil, Mexico, China, and India. Ethnobiology is an interdisciplinary science covering a wide range of fields related to the past, present and future of man's relationship to the environment and natural resources. This relationship is embodied in indigenous knowledge and cultural practices that have been tested and applied over generations. The congress was organized by the National Museums of Kenya. This organization, besides being the national repository for cultural and biological collections, is also a centre of research on various aspects of biological diversity. Among its departments is the Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge. The main theme of the congress was 'Ethnobiology and the conservation of cultural and biological diversity'. There were four plenary lectures: 'Indigenous knowledge and policy', 'Environment, ethnography and the social order', 'The ownership of nature: the perpetuation of Africa's biological resources', and 'Indigenous people and land tenure'. General papers were presented in ten sessions which featured the following topics: ethnobiology; history and inventories; ethnobiological research methodologies; traditional practices and beliefs related to the preservation of cultural and biological diversity; indigenous peoples, their cultural identity, and their management and use of resources; ethnomedicine and ethnoveterinary medicine; food, nutrition and traditional farming systems; innovations; folk taxonomy and ethno-ecology; and policy issues and community rights. There were symposia on three subjects: database systems for ethnotaxonomy and ethnobotany; public health; and ethnomedicine. There was also a workshop on the global coalition for bio-cultural resources, a group which worked throughout the week on ethics and a constitution for ISE, and a session for posters and exhibitions. The Festival of Living Traditions ran concurrently with the congress, and was held on the grounds of the KICC. The festival included shows, discussions and exhibitions demonstrating the importance of cultural practices for the sustainable use of resources. There were also exhibitions of traditional foods, medicines and many other products. The Congress provided a good opportunity to discuss many issues. The 6th ICE will be held in New Zealand in 1998. It will be hosted by the indigenous people of Maoritanga. Between now and then, there will be some follow-up activities. (Christine Kabuye) Kenrik, National Museums of Kenya, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254-2-743513, Fax: +254-2-741424. E-mail: Kenrik@tt.gn.apc.org / Kenrik@tt.sasa.unep.no (See also notice under Databases.)

XI World Forestry Congress Antalya (Turkey) 13-22 October 1997

Some 3,000 participants are expected to attend the XI World Forestry Congress, to be held in Antalya (Turkey) from 13 to 22 October 1997. FAO is assisting the organizing committee with the technical programme and the documentation. The congress, which generally takes place at six-year intervals, provides policy advice for governments and international organizations. It is the most important meeting bringing together people from many backgrounds who share an interest in forests and forestry. Participants range from government ministers to local forest rangers. Together they examine the main issues affecting the sector. Under the title 'Forests for sustainable development: Towards the 21st century', the eleventh congress will respond to the challenges of the current international debate on sustainable forest management and the call for sound management and the introduction of appropriate technology for the sustainable use of forest resources by the present and future generations. The congress is uniquely suited to taking up many of the issues discussed by the intergovernmental panel on forests, the commission on sustainable development, and the special session of the United Nations General Assembly reviewing the agreements of the Rio Summit. There will be seven position papers, more than 50 special papers, and a selection of the 1,300 papers that have been submitted. In addition, 13 keynote speakers will help to take stock of past action, to identify trends and gaps, and to examine the role of forests and forestry within a new economic, social and environmental context. The aim is to respond better to society's changing values and needs. An informal meeting of ministers is also being convened by Turkey's Minister of Forestry, and there will be four pre-congress satellite meetings: on community forestry, desertification, TCDC and Silva Mediterranea. International organizations will no doubt hold side meetings as well. The congress itself will include special sessions on women in forestry and youth in forestry, and contests are being organized for students, youth, women, and schoolchildren. The broad involvement of NGOs is being encouraged. Documentation about the congress will be available in June 1997 in four languages. Information can be obtained via the Internet, where the technical documentation is being posted at the following site: http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/forestry/wforcong. Interested parties can also contact: Dr L.S. Botero, Associate Secretary-General, Forestry Department, FAO, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. Tel.+39-6-5225-5088, Fax: +39-6-5225-5137. E-mail: luis.botero@fao.org

Past: Endangered languages, endangered knowledge, endangered environments Berkeley (USA) 25-27 October 1996

During this conference, a multidisciplinary group of biologists, linguists, anthropologists, conservationists, and representatives of indigenous peoples explored the complex relationships between cultural and biological diversity. They considered the continuing high rate of extinction of languages and biological species as well as the continuing loss of indigenous knowledge. Many of the participants are well-known to the global network of indigenous knowledge practitioners. Besides contributions by representatives of indigenous groups, there were presentations on the language revitalization taking place among Native Californians, on the current status of traditional resource rights for indigenous peoples and local communities, and on the role of the 31 indigenous knowledge resource centres in addressing issues related to the conference theme. Among the many questions addressed at the conference were:
The conference proceedings are in preparation. Information about how to obtain a copy will appear in a future issue of the Monitor. (D.M. Warren) Contact: Dr Luisa Maffi, Institute of Cognitive Studies, 608 Barrows Hall, University of California, Berkeley CA 94720, USA. Tel: +1-510-643-1728, Fax: +1-510-643-5688. E-mail: maffi@cogsci.berkeley.edu

Past: A framework for protecting and promoting indigenous knowledge Manila (Philippines) 23-24 January 1997

A national workshop to validate a framework for protecting and promoting indigenous knowledge in the Philippines was held at the Institute of Social Order, Ateneo de Manila University, on 23-24 January 1997. The workshop was attended by 54 persons: 18 representing indigenous peoples from all over the Philippines, 14 from government agencies, 6 from NGOs and people's organizations, and 12 from international agencies. The framework was the product of earlier consultation with 72 leaders of indigenous peoples, who had gathered in a national congress. The framework includes an overall assessment of the national situation regarding ancestral domain and IKSP. It also states the vision, mission and objectives of Filipino indigenous peoples regarding their own indigenous knowledge, and spells out principles for creating an interface between IK and national development. Finally, the framework puts forward a national action plan for protecting and promoting IK, and describes an organizational structure for implementing the plan smoothly. The workshop also discussed the draft of a Presidential Order that will institutionalize the protection of IK by incorporating it into initiatives for community-based resource management. The Presidential Order obliges relevant organizations--government, non-government and people's organizations alike--to implement the measure to protect and promote IK. The Order will be finalized in a series of national forums of indigenous peoples, and then submitted to President Fidel V. Ramos for his signature by June of this year. The workshop was co-ordinated by the Philippine Resource Center for Sustainable Development and Indigenous Knowledge (PHIRCSDIK), which was asked by ILO INDISCO to conduct a project to document IK and develop a framework for the Philippines. The workshop was sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development (UNDP), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. (Rogelio C. Serrano)

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