Since 2001, the German Ministries for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) have been partnering with GEO Magazine to organize "Biodiversity Days" in Germany and in various developing countries.
Local leaders, political decision makers, biodiversity experts and key media have worked with ordinary people to carry out these national action days. Related events have been organized with up to 1,000 people taking part. They have received broad media coverage in Germany and the countries in which they were held. In 2007, for example, an event exploring "Biodiversity and Climate Change" took place at Tam Dao National Park in Viet Nam.
"Biodiversity Days" have thus contributed - like in Viet Nam - to political agenda setting and promoted the conservation of biodiversity in more than 10 countries. Building on these successful experiences, the two German Ministries and GEO Magazine are now inviting new partners to organize simultaneous "Biodiversity Days" around the globe.
Some 50 nations have been invited to participate in this global event. While each country is free in designing its own national event, some degree of overall guidance and coordination will be necessary to ensure coherence and make it possible to compile the results in a series of international presentations.
The following project architecture has been set up to serve this purpose:
The Steering Committee is responsible for overall guidance and decision making regarding the global project. It consists of the German Federal Ministries for Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ), GEO International and the coordination office of the global study The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).
The Project Coordination unit will serve as 'Helpdesk' for the national implementation teams in participating countries, to whom it will provide organizational guidance and content-related support. Besides, it is responsible for the global coordination of activities, for compiling the global mosaic of national experiences, and for ensuring appropriate presentation of the results at international level. These tasks have been assigned to GeoMedia, a consulting firm based in Bonn.
The National Implementation Teams will be designated by the CBD Focal Points in each country. The teams are responsible for organizing and implementing the Action Day at national level. They will receive guidance and support upon request from the Project Coordinators (GeoMedia), and will feed back selected results of the Day as part of the global mosaic of national experiences. In countries where GEO Editorial Offices and/or suitable German development cooperation structures (GTZ or KfW) exist, they will cooperate with and support the National Implementation Teams.
The Steering Committee and the Project Coordination unit will be closely cooperating with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to ensure coherence with international events and other activities in the context of IBD 2010.
