Nature - What's in it For Me?

Ecosystems that support the lives, livelihoods and well-being of people around the world are under threat from a range of issues. To secure a sustainable future, new forms of ecosystem management will be required, but how can these be achieved?
Answering this question will be the subject of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2010 UK conference entitled “Nature – What’s in it For Me?” This will be hosted by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland on 18–20 April at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.
Taking place during the UN International Year of Biodiversity, the event will explore how sustainable ecosystem management can be improved for the benefit of human health and economic prosperity. Input will be needed from all sectors of society, so delegates with social, economic and environmental interests from business and the public sector are invited to attend.
More than 20 presenters will pass on their expert knowledge during this two-day event. The guest speakers include Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN; Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minister for Environment, Scottish Government; and three chief executives from the UK’s statutory conservation agencies. Members of the six IUCN commissions will provide workshops.
The event’s theme, ecosystem management for human well-being, is one of the five themes in the IUCN “Global Programme Shaping a Sustainable Future.” The conference will provide a platform to showcase and share the latest information from the UK, Europe and elsewhere in the world, and will offer excellent networking opportunities for sectors not usually connected.
Founded in October 1948, the IUCN is the world’s oldest conservation organisation and aims to encourage and assist societies around the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature, and to ensure the use of ecologically sustainable natural resources.
Thanks to support from key sponsors the World Wide Fund for Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and Natural England, the cost of the two-day conference is £135; there is an early-bird rate of £95 for bookings made before 14 March. This includes all conference materials, two lunches, a conference dinner and an evening reception.