Community-driven Conservation
and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agrobiodiversity
Aleppo, Syria, 18-21 April 2005
The preservation of dryland agrobiodiversity is essential for ensuring sustained agricultural development and food security and to overcome the effects of desertification and global climate changes. While ex-situ collections safeguard samples of the existing diversity, emphasis has recently been put on promoting in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity as a complementary method for the dynamic preservation of all components of the agrobiodiversity rich ecosystems. The success of this later approach will require the involvement of major stakeholders including the farming and herding communities, along with their empowerment and decisive actions, that can improve the livelihoods of the custodians of local agrobiodiversity.
Several Global Environment Facility (GEF-) funded projects and other projects are working in the CWANA region towards the ultimate goal of improving the livelihoods of local communities while sustaining the resource base including local agrobiodiversity. The GEF-United Nations Development Program (GEF-UNDP)-funded project on "Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agrobiodiversity" has been implemented in Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Syria and coordinated by ICARDA in co-operation with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the Arab Center for Studies of the Arid Zones and Dry Areas (ACSAD). Community-based conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is a new theme in which lessons learnt from experiences in different eco-systems and countries need to be shared to build collectively a successful model for implementation.
An international Conference on “Promoting Community-driven Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agrobiodiversity” will be held at ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria, 18-21 April, 2005. This Conference will feature invited keynote speakers, discuss the optimum methodology for conservation of agrobiiodiversuty in the drylands, and include country presentations from each of the national components of the GEF-UNDP Project.
Themes
1. Understanding the status and current trends of dryland agrobiodiversity conservation utilizing a participatory and gender-sensitive approach;
2. Documentation of local agrobiodiversity in the livelihoods of local communities, indigenous knowledge, major factors of degradation and through the use of Geographical Information System/Remote sensing (GIS/RS) tools;
3. Technological and management options of agrobiodiversity within natural and semi-natural habitats including rangelands, forests and protected areas;
4. Technological and management options for managing agrobiodiversity inside farmers' fields;
5. Added-value and alternative sources of income for improving the livelihoods of the local custodians of agrobiodiversity;
6. Public awareness activities for promoting agrobiodiversity conservation through mass media and other means;
7. Valuation of dryland agrobiodiversity including uses such as genetic resources;
8. Enabling policies and legislations on access to agrobiodiversity, including national strategies and aspects related to benefit-sharing and intellectual property rights;
9. Impacts of global constraints and challenges on dryland agrobiodiversity conservation.
Date and venue
The conference will be held at ICARDA headquarters at Tel Hadya, 30 km south of Aleppo city, from 18-21 April 2005 (the last day will include a field visit to Sweida region located 90 km south-east of Damascus). The presentations will be in English with possibility for Arabic translation wherever needed.
Papers and posters
Each of the above topics will be the subject of a session and will be introduced by an invited speaker. Selected papers will be presented orally during each session, whereas others can be presented as posters.
• Titles, authors, and abstracts (up to 300 words) should be submitted to the Agrobiodiversity Organizing Committee (AOC) by 15 December 2004;
• Authors of selected papers for oral presentations or posters will be notified by 15 January 2005;
• Papers should be prepared according to Guidelines for Authors and submitted by 15 April 2005;
• Papers will be refereed. The final versions of papers should be received by the AOC by 15 May 2005. A publication based on the presentations will be produced by ICARDA.
Registration
A Registration Fee of US$ 120.00 will be charged per participant. This Fee will only cover local transportation and transportation from and to the airport, a visit to Sweida area (south of Damascus), and a copy of the conference publication when produced.
Accommodation
Participants will be responsible for their own lodging and boarding. The hotels offering a special Conference rate will be sent with the Second Announcement.
Syrian entry visa
Participants requiring a Syrian entry visa should apply for the same in their own countries. However, in certain cases where a Syrian mission is not close by, ICARDA can arrange for a Syrian entry visa on arrival at Damascus and Aleppo airports, provided sufficient notice is given.
Secretariat
Mr Ali Shehadeh (Conference Coordinator)
Ms Hasna Boustani (Secretary)
Genetic Resources Unit
ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466
Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 221-3433/222-5012/222-5112
Fax: (963-21) 221-3490/222-5105
Email: a.shehadeh@CGIAR.ORG
Email: h.boustani@CGIAR.ORG
All correspondence should be addressed to:
Dr. A. Amri Conference Facilitator, Genetic Resources Unit,
ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria, or electronically through e-mail: a.amri@CGIAR.ORG
Full Name (Dr/Mr/Ms/Prof): ..........................................................................................................
Mailing Address: .........................................................................................................................
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Fax: ..........................................................................................................................
Phone: ..........................................................................................................................
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I would like to participate in the Conference on Promoting Community-driven
Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agrobiodiversity and I will/will
not present a
paper with the following tentative title:
..........................................................................................................................
Author(s): ..........................................................................................................................
I will/will not need accommodation for myself and ____
other person/s.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Please return this
Preliminary Registration Form electronically or by mail or by fax before
31 October 2004 to:
Dr Ahmed Amri
Conference Facilitator
Genetic Resources Unit
ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466
Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 221-3433/222-5012/222-5112
Fax: (963-21) 221-3490/222-5105
Email: a.amri@CGIAR.ORG
International Program Committee
- Dr. Adel El-Beltagy (Chair)
- Dr. Mohan C. Saxena (ICARDA)
- Dr. Mahmoud Solh (FAO)
- Dr. Azzam Tubaileh (Palestine)
- Dr. Kamel Feliachi (Algeria)
- Dr. Abdelaziz Mougou (Tunisia)
- Dr. Hamid Narjisse (Morocco)
- Dr. Abdenabi Fardous (Jordan)
- Dr. Majd Jamal (Syria)
- Dr. Michel Afram (Lebanon)
- Dr. Nigel Maxted (United Kingdom)
- Dr. Bikram Gill (KSU, USA)
- Mr. Ali Al-Za'tari (UNDP-Syria)
- Dr. Marcel Alers (GEF-UNDP)
- Dr. Abdelhamid Abdouli (IFAD)
- Dr. William Erskine (ICARDA)
- Dr. Jan Valkoun (ICARDA)
- Dr. George Ayad (IPGRI)
- Dr. Samir Ahmed (ICARDA)
- Mr. Michel Valat (ICARDA)
- Dr. Adel Goudeh (ACSAD)
- Dr. Mohammed El-Mourid (ICARDA)
- Dr. Raghed Assi (Lebanon)
- Mr. Abdallah Lahlouh (Palestine)
- Mr. Younis Sbeih (Palestine)
- Dr. Mohammed Ajlouni (Jordan)
- Dr. Ahmed Amri (ICARDA)
- Dr. Adi Damania (GRCP-Consultant)