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Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity

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Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity
  • Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity
  • Graphic Reporting

A Laboratory of Possibilities project

On the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5, 2020, for which Montréal was the North American host city, Space for Life and the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) organized an event to reflect on and imagine the future of our planet (our cities, our spaces) as well as the cohabitation between species on Earth, humans included.

Over 170 participants

The virtual meeting, Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity, created a space for communication and exchange on the theme of the environment with more than 170 participants from the scientific, artistic and educational communities, as well as with citizens, activists and Indigenous people from Québec, elsewhere in Canada and abroad. Here are some excerpts from this very productive and extremely creative event.

Regenerating Human Potential – Panel discussion

This virtual encounter brought together four engaged scientists on a unique panel that addressed the theme of human potential with a view to identifying solutions and making a difference.

The main question was: What do we need to understand about human beings—our motivations, our ways of thinking and acting—that could help us develop the most effective policies, actions, communications and projects?

Let yourself be inspired
by viewing it here

The dialogues and discussions were recorded. Click on the names of the panelists to listen, or relisten, to what they had to say.

 

Here are some links for viewing excerpts from the event.

Récolte synthèse

Harvest synthesis
Read a detailed summary of the themes, discussions and shared ideas.
Récolte graphique

Graphic reporting
Download all the discussions summarized in an illustration by artist Mylène Choquette.

Virtual Project Hives – A unique project-sharing concept

To maintain the spirit of the event Unlocking Human Potential for Biodiversity, Montréal Space for Life and the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) officially launched Virtual Project Hives, a new initiative promoting the sharing of projects related to biodiversity and climate change.

The basic idea behind Virtual Project Hives is to bring together groups of 6 to 11 people who want to share their biodiversity projects, with a view to helping enrich those of others. Project hives focus on building collective intelligence by pooling diversified knowledge, expertise and resources in order to help advance projects of all sizes faster and further.

Project hives also take into account the vision of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity's strategic plan Living in Harmony with Nature, which aims to ensure that biodiversity is valued, preserved, restored and used wisely. Putting biodiversity to the fore means maintaining the services provided by ecosystems, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people by 2050.

Essential themes

Virtual Project Hives host projects that fall within the framework of the seven main themes identified by the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (SCDB).

 

Sustainable cities
Large-scale greening of urban areas, making space for nature within built landscapes, improving the health and quality of life for citizens and reducing the footprint of cities on surrounding and distant ecosystems as well as on the world’s climate
 

Sustainable food
A transition to healthier diets that include more moderate consumption of meat, put a greater emphasis on plant-based foods and dramatically cut waste in food supply chains
 

Land and forests
Moving to a state of affairs in which maintaining and improving food security no longer involves the large-scale conversion of forests and other ecosystems to agricultural land
 

Sustainable climate action
Accelerating action to reduce the scale of climate change by favouring nature-based solutions that simultaneously limit greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon storage and provide positive benefits for biodiversity along with other sustainable development goals
 

Sustainable agriculture
A global shift in the design of agricultural systems to make the most efficient use of land and water while minimizing negative impacts on natural resources and biodiversity
 

Fresh water
An integrated approach for urgent recovery and better management of freshwater systems, guaranteeing the river flows required by nature and people, improving water quality, protecting critical habitats, controlling invasive species and safeguarding ecosystem connectivity
 

Sustainable fisheries
A shift in the management of global fishing to ensure that marine and inland water ecosystems are protected and restored, food security is maintained and profits from fishing are protected over the long term

A successful first virtual hive

We are delighted to have implemented a first virtual hive in the summer of 2020 that brought together project participants and collaborators brimming with wonderful ideas. Over the course of the year, we’ll be launching a second version of the Virtual Project Hives, intended for the general public. Check back in regularly!