On 21 October 2020 at 15:00 (CEST), the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is hosting a webinar on 'Explore opportunities for integrating biodiversity into agricultural economic system'.
The Agricultural sector is the backbone of many economies especially in regions like Africa. It is indeed an important sector that supports the existence of both human beings and other species. Due to its large impact, its role cannot be ignored when it comes to both biodiversity financing and conservation. Some practices in the agricultural sector such as government subsidies, conversion of forests to agricultural land, heavy irrigation and use of fertilizers and pesticides have had immense negative effects on biodiversity. All these activities involve heavy capital investment that in the end lead to endangering/ loss of biodiversity and also expenditure on expenses that can be avoided. This part of the webinar focuses on how we can green certain investments/ practices in the agricultural sector and how we can re-direct the flow of finances to activities that are more biodiversity friendly.
Panelists:
- Eric Soubeiran, CEO Danone Ecosystem Fund, France
- Ayanda Cele, Manager of Land Reform and Biodiversity Stewardship for WWF-SA, South Africa
- Martijn Blom, Lead Impact Funds Initiative and Benelux, EVPA, Netherlands
- Ruchi Pant, Head, Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity, UNDP India
- Kifah Sasa, Senior Programme Advisor, Green Commodities Programme, UNDP Costa Rica
Moderator:
- Tracey Cumming, Technical Advisor, UNDP BIOFIN Global