First Congo Basin Frontiers of Science Symposium on Security of Biodiversity, Climate, and Natural Resources
Abstract
The project is to organize the First Congo Basin Frontiers of Science Symposium on Security of Biodiversity, Climate, and Natural resources. This will be a three-day symposium from the 22 to the 25th of November 2023 in Yaounde, Cameroon. The symposium will focuson the exchange of knowledge on security risks induced, directly or indirectly by changes in climate, biodiversity and natural resources in the Congo Basin and discussion on mitigation and prevention efforts. Recommendations will be made to secure biodiversity, climate and natural resources in the Congo basin. This symposium is innovative as it will be the first focusing on the security of biodiversity, climate and natural resources in the Congo basin. The Congo Basin makes up one of the most important wilderness areas left on earth and stands as the world#s second-largest tropical forest. However, major report on the Congo Basin has found the world s#second lung# is struggling to maintain its rich biodiversity amid deforestation, poaching, mining, petroleum exploration and extraction activities, to an increasing degree and the worsening effects of climate change. Hence there is a need to secure biodiversity,climate and natural resources for sustainability. The sessions will include biodiversity security, it will include sessions on; Taxonomy and biodiversity inventories, Ecology and global change, Conservation in Practice, Conservation and indigenous knowledge, Ecosystem services and their valorisation, and OneHealth. For climate security session, it will focus on the current and future global conflict landscape, climate justice, climate diplomacy, Climate change, water management and food security, Climate-related transboundary pests and diseases, including relevant aquatic species and Climate change and disaster risk management. While for natural resource security session, it will focus on Informing decision making for natural resource-related risks, responding to natural resource-related hazards, Implication of natural resource security, Key factors, determinants of and relationships underpinning natural resources conflicts, gender dimensions of resource conflicts and security and sustainable management of natural resource will bring together outstanding early and mid-career scientists from the United States, Europe and countries from the Congo Basin both at home and in the diaspora to discuss exciting advances, challenges, opportunities and make recommendations in their fields. The goal of this meeting is to bring experts together to discuss recent research findings and new research techniques. During this symposium major scientific advances on the symposium theme regionally and globally will be discussed. This symposium will be held in partnership with the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists (CAYS) and the TWAS Young Affiliates Network (TYAN), Congo Basin chapter, The University of Bamenda. This symposium is in collaboration with Prof. Isbell Forest in the University of Minnesota, Dr, Eric Nana of the Universityof Oxford and Dr. Max Paoli in the World Academy of Science, Trieste, Italy. The event and related outcomes of the symposium is directly related to US Naval or Marine Corps Science and Technology Plan of Basic Research (6.1) which includes scientific study and research to increase knowledge and understanding in the physical, engineering, environmental and life sciences related to long-term naval needs. Its focus is knowledge of scientific phenomena. Also, the symposium theme is in line with the broad base agency announcement for fundamental research which focus on Science to advance environmental security: These efforts must focus on the fundamental knowledge that will inform new approaches and tools to predict and mitigate risks posed by changing environments and extreme weather events and to ensure access to natural resources, including strategic minerals. The outcomes of this international symposium will beenhanced networking and collaboration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 11, 2023
- Source ID
- N629092312078
Entities
People
- Rosemary Tonjock
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Université de Bamenda