Partenalia participated last Friday 5th in the last conferences of the Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy held in Brussels. The theme of this year is nature and biodiversity, with a special attention on maintaining Europe’s nature and biodiversity and to create jobs and stimulate investment.
The trade and biodiversity interface
As the world’s biggest trader, Europe has a responsibility to put in place policies that recognise the impact that its consumption of goods and natural resources are having on biodiversity in the rest of the planet. One of the instruments at the EU’s disposal is trade policy, in which bilateral trade agreements play an increasingly important role.
The MEP Mr. Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament, Mr. John Bazill, Senior Trade & Environment Officer, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission and Mr. Mario Abreu, Vice President, Tetra Pak International addressed this topic and explained how things are looking right now.
Healthy ecosystems as drivers for sustainable growth
Protecting nature and restoring ecosystems, whether in terrestrial or marine environments, can contribute to economic development. The speakers Mr. Justin Adams (Managing Director, Global Lands, The Nature Conservancy), Mr. Alain Chabrolle (Vice President of Environment and Health, Région Rhone Alps) and Mr. Milos Labovic (Representative of the Province of Zeeland) all shared examples of best practices that can be up-scaled and they also discussed how human activities can be integrated in nature and ecosystems in a way that protects nature and allows the potential for economic growth.
Biodiversity and climate change
The role of marine and terrestrial ecosystem services for climate change adaptation and mitigation was discussed during this session, as well as the potential to achieve multiple benefits at comparable low cost.
It was showcased the urgency to act and highlight already existing good practices with a view to possible deployment on a larger scale. The political context was presented taking into account on-going work in different policy areas including climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, nature conservation, the role of Natura 2000 and other protected areas, research and others.