Progress on biodiversity: how does NZ measure up?

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: TUES 7 DEC 10:30 AM

2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, is drawing to a close.

This year's targets for global biodiversity conservation -- the culmination of UN efforts emerging from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 -- have largely failed.

Follow-up negotiations this year in Nagoya, Japan led to a new accord and renewed strategic plan that awaits ratification by 193 countries.

Meanwhile, global biodiversity loss continues to accelerate.

2010 also marks the midpoint of New Zealand's own twenty-year National Biodiversity Strategy. How are we measuring up on the targets we've set ourselves?

As we round out the year of biodiversity, we bring together a panel of conservation experts to ask what's been accomplished, what's been overlooked, and what are the major challenges ahead?

SPEAKERS:

Dr Bill Lee - Ecologist, Landcare Research

Dr Avi Holzapfel - Senior Technical Support Officer, Department of Conservation

Dr John Craig - independent biodiversity & sustainability consultant and Research Associate, University of Auckland

ONLINE BRIEFING DETAILS
DATE: TUES 7 DEC
START TIME: 10:30 am (dial in five minutes beforehand)
DURATION: Approx 45 minutes
(For those unable to dial in at the scheduled time, an audio recording will be posted to the SMC website shortly after the briefing concludes. Registered journalists will also be able to download presenters' slides from the SMC Resource Library.)

JOINING ONLINE AND BY PHONE:

Each presenter will speak for 10 minutes, followed by questions. Journalists will have the opportunity to ask questions in a Q&A session to follow the presentations.

For the simultaneous audio and web conference, follow the instructions below:

For the online portion of the conference: (speakers will display slides):
Follow this link
Enter your full name AND organisation in the box provided and hit GO

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz

ends

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