Green Economics Institute

Biodiversity Mini Conference Symposium Green Economics and Biodiversity

Ending the 7th Ever Mass Extinction of Species

Saturday 29th November 2014 at Trinity College, University of Oxford

10.00- 17.00 & Bonus session!

Climate Change Preparation and Members Inputs to our Delegation to the COP Kyoto Conference in Lima

Rationale for the ConferenceThe TEEB Report warned that the cost of Biodiversity Loss and the current mass extinction of species will be 7 times greater than even the losses and costs of climate change. Therefore it is

incumbent on everyone who is working on economics or biodiversity to try to ensure that our economy addresses its impacts on climate change and that everyone understands the situation and the part we all have to play in solving this important issue. This conference follows on from our initial training course in 2007 where we started to address this issue and launches our forthcoming book project. Green Economics and Biodiversity. The book is being edited and produced by researchers at Imperial College London University and also supported by Biodiversity specialists and Conservation experts at Oxford University amongst others. We are still calling for writers, speakers and anyone who can help on the project. This conference lays strong foundation stones for our project to change world perceptions about the importance of this issue and humanities' reliance on biodiversity and other species for more or less everything we do -and that includes economics and our economy, green and mainstream alike, we all need other species, and we all need biodiversity, and actually we all need to consider animal protection as well.

Biodiversity by Anna Wainer Biological diversity, or biodiversity, describes the variety of life on Earth. A standard definition of biodiversity would be ‘the number, variety, and genetic variation of different organisms found within a specified geographic region.’ Biodiversity is however not only the difference between species, but also the variability among species at both morphological and molecular level. Ecosystem diversity, which refers to the diversity of ecosystems in a given area, is sometimes also included as another level of variability, however is usually excluded from biodiversity itself. Overall there are three main tiers of variability in nature: molecular biodiversity, species biodiversity and ecosystem diversity.

This Biodiversity Mini Conference will also offer you preparation and a bonus of offering you an opportunity to Input to our Delegation to the COP 20 Kyoto Protocol Climate Change Conference in Lima Peru this month.

Speaker Information

Special Guest SpeakerDr Sasha Norris is a Zoologist and Broadcaster.She has a first class degree in Zoology from Bristol University (and the Rose Bracher prize for Zoology) and a D.Phil, (PhD) from Oxford University for her work studying communication between house sparrows. She has taught at Oxford University and as a freelance writer, Sasha has worked for the Discovery Channel, BBC Wildlife, the Guardian and Oxford Today as well as being a regular features writer for the RSPB. She has written and published three books and in 2000 founded Siren, a conservation education charity which has attracted Darwin Initiative and private donor funding and impacted thousands of lives and wild creatures. She has produced and presented over 60 programs of her own 'Wild' show on local RSL The Oxford Channel. For her presenting skills, Sasha has been nominated for major awards and been a key expert in landmark series on Channel Four and BBC2. If she could have one wish it would be for people to be as excited about wildlife conservation as they are about World Cup Football.

Wiebina Heesterman PhD

Although Dutch, she has been resident in the United Kingdom since the mid 1960s. She has a BA Librarianship, an MSc IT and a PhD in Human Rights Law from the University of Warwick. After writing several articles on children’s rights, she cooperated with Aart Heesterman on a book, Rediscovering Sustainability: Economics of the Finite Earth, published early 2013. Since then she has written a chapter on climate change denial for a book on engineering ethics, to be published January 2015 and an article for the Green Economics Institute. Early this year she completed an

online course on climate change from Exeter University, and has since started an online course “Planetary Boundaries and Human Opportunities,” provided by the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Bianca Madison- Vuleta

Bianca Madison- Vuleta is highly trained in the areas of green economics and ecological and sustainable principles.Her passion for individual and planetary health motivates her to strive to instil enthusiasm in her clients and wider audiences for implementing ideas and taking steps towards greener, more holistic and healthier lifestyles.

Bianca is the Co- founder of the Sustainable Planet Foundation, a social enterprise whose mission is to mobilise the scientific, education and public policy in order to enhance the health and welfare of people and animals by researching and recommending the improvement of living and working environments, whilst promoting equality and sustainability principles.

She has also been actively involved in the work of numerous national and international human rights and environmental NGOs for many years as a passionate and inspired campaigner and public speaker.

Bianca is available for public speaking engagements in health, sustainability and environmental arenas and workshop leadership, as well as individual one to one health and wellbeing consultations.

Henry Cox

Papers from

Amphibians Humans Real Best Friends by Watrobska, CecyliaI’m crazy about amphibians, and it therefore saddens me to think that one in three amphibians is threatened or already extinct (IUCN, 2014). We make their lives hell, a never-ending battle for survival: we pollute and destroy their habitats, carelessly introduce deadly pathogens to new populations and exploit them to breaking point. Yet amphibians continue to reward us, bearing no grudge against what struggles humanity has forced upon them. I look briefly at some of the most prominent threats to the amphibian world and why it would be within our interests to give them a helping hand.

Pauline Obl, Imperial College London Biodiversity and Molecular Biodiversity

Ethan Staats, Virginia Commonwealth University Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Andrea Alatorre-Troncoso et al Mexico’s payments for ecosystem services programme: in the wrong place at the right time

Ralph Wainer Biodiversity Hotspots in Madagascar

Anna Fry The Value of Biodiversity Medicinal Plants Imperial College

Anna Wainer Biodiversity Imperial College

We also support The Book Conservation by Dr Susan Canney and Clive Hambler of Oxford University Environmental Change Institute.

For our book overall we would like you to write on your own topic of interest. We are especially keen to receive papers on the ‘Biology of Biodiversity’ (taxonomy, evolution, speciation, extinction etc.) and on the link between nature and human wellbeing (economics, politics, poverty, food security etc.). Hands-on experience is also ideal; we want to hear about your experiences in conservation! We will accept sections, whole chapters, subsections and papers.

We want to give a complete idea of biodiversity, starting by educating readers more about biodiversity science, and then moving on to the trends in extinction, environmental policies, the relationship society and individuals have with nature and potential solutions to preserve our environment. We would be pleased to receive short or longer papers ready to be put into our chapters, on any of the above themes.Please send them to GEIBooksandjournal@yahoo.co.uk , making sure you put “Biodiversity Project” in the title.

The content of the Conference Day 29th November 2014 Speeches will be about Biodiversity, on Climate Change and on other campaigning issues on the day as well so please advise if you'd like to speak.

We have also prepared Proceedings of the Green Economics and Biodiversity Conference at Trinity College, University of Oxford Saturday, Edited by Anna Wainer of Imperial College, a Marine Biologist, Miriam Kennet and Odeta Grabauskete of Lithuania, on Saturday 29th November 2014 with new Research which will be launched on the day.

Timetable for the Day 10.30-11.00 Networking- welcome drinks and nibbles

Participants introduce themselves and their interests

11.00 – 11.30 Introduction and Reports from Officers Led by Miriam Kennet and Bianca Madison Preparing for the First ever Members and Supporters AGM which will be held in January 2015. Planning workshops for what the Institute does in 2015 for its celebratory 10th Anniversary. “Opportunities for the Institute in 2015”

11.30- 12.00 Climate Change and Our Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change Delegation Preparation, COP 20 in Lima Peru, Speech – an opportunity for members and supporters to input to our Peru Delegation to the COP Kyoto Climate Conference in Peru this month. Possible link up with our Delegates- in USA and India.

12.00- 13.00 Start of Biodiversity Mini Conference

Speeches on Biodiversity including: Dr Sasha Norris Author of many books and papers on biodiversity and Biodiversity Expert and TV presenter

13.00-14.00 Networking lunch

14.00-14.15 Biodiversity Mini Conference Miriam KennetPresents what we have done so far on the project.

Academic Proceedings will be provided to all paid up attendees. There will be a number of supporting speeches Introducing our book Project

Publisher: The Green Economics Institute • ISBN-10: 1907543228 • ISBN-13: 978-1907543227

• Edited by Anna Wainer, Miriam Kennet and Odeta Grabauskete.

The Output of the conference will all go towards our books in production on this subject. We encourage all participants to be part of the book we will be producing shortly.

14.15- 15.15 Wiebina Heesterman PhdMarine Biodiversity of the Seas

15.15- 15.30 Group discussion about the talk

15.30- 16.00 Henry Cox Thoughts on biodiversity

16.00- 16.15 Group discussion about the talk

16.15- 16.45 Bianca Madison-VuletaGlobal Biodiversity Challenges today

16.45- 17.15 Group discussion about the talk

17.15-17.45 Discussion in groups about general priorities and campaigning

17.45-18.00 Planning together for Biodiversity, Preventing the 6th or 7th ever Mass Extinction of species and animal protection campaigns and a larger conference on this subject in 2015.

In order to fund our campaigning- we would like everyone who comes including speakers, to pay £30.00 for the day. We will provide drinks and nibbles and sustenance throughout the day- except tea and coffee which are available near the gate of the college (as we dont have hot drinks or food kitchen there).

Please email if youd like to come – greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com we hope to see lots of you there on the day.

(Please also do remember to put the main conference event in your diary March 22nd to 25th 2015, which is booking up nicely and looks very exciting.)

Additional Information about The Green Economics Institute's ActivitiesOur Journal has been going 9 years, its the first Green Academic Journal in the world. International Journal of Green EconomicsWe are hoping to launch a second one in 2015 which will be Open Source Journal Project Launch, and we are working on this at the moment. We have now produced 75 publications and will have 50 books by the year end ! Some of which have been used by Kings, Princes, the United Nations, Governments all around the world and MPs, MEPs, The Global Greens and businesses, campaigners, academics in every continent! We have had about 500 students on our study programme internally – mainly of them resident and we have trained many more- from the UK Cabinet Office to the Officials from all the Balkan

Countries and we have lectured in Universities throughout the world. We have our own delegation to the COP Kyoto Climate Conferences and have campaigns on about 50 topics all active at any one time. Our network now extends to about 17,000 people.

We would like to run a seminar, planning day on 29th November 2014 and invite you to participate for planning for the celebration of our 3 millionth visitor to our website and our 10th anniversary since our launch.

Next year therefore we will be planning a nice fund raising dinner in January and May 2015, a 10th anniversary celebratory holiday in the country, 2 new websites- one for the Green Economics Institute Trust, which now has a new office in Reading Launchpad a major Charity for the Homeless which is mentoring our Charitable Trust, and one website for the Institute plus new areas for our books and other activities.

We also are working on our major 10th anniversary celebratory major conference on March 22nd-25th 2015 at Trinity College, University of Oxford.

Lots more is happening- there is no doubt that we have been credited with the Development of the Academic Discipline of Green Economics, and also of changing the worlds view of economics as the Dismall Science to something which has shaped the modern world -good and bad and which is needed and capable of affecting the survivability of the human civilisation and human species- a very important social construct which needs better management. This has been our contribution -in no way a small one- and we need your help and vision to move to phase 2- the first 20 years of Green Economics.

Photo Honeycomb with resident bee colony

Photo of Whales Conservation in the open sea by Anna Wainer of Imperial College

Writers invited to participate in our book and biodiversity project : Some still to confirm:

Timothy Norwood (University of Warwick, Environmental Biologist)Monte Neate-Clegg (University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Evolutionary Biologist)

David Tariq Godding (University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Biochemist)Ethan Staats (Virginia Commonwealth University, Biologist and Ecologist)

Princess Irena von Hohenlohe GermanyDr Susan Canney (University of Oxford, Research associate, Zoology)

Caroline Allen (Vetinary Surgeon, UK)

Dr Pam Berry (Mansfield College, University of Oxford)

Mike Itgen (Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Herpetologist)Dr Wazeer Varsally (University of Birmingham, Bioinformatics)

Sean Gallagher (University of Pittsburg, Marine Researcher at Operation Wallacea)Jamie-Oliver Males (University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, National Trust)

Achuthan Tariq Balasingam (HEC Paris, Imperial College London, Chemistry and Finance)Pauline Obl (Imperial College London, Researcher at Strasburg)

Anna Fry (Oxford University, Universitat Heidelberg, Imperial College London)Sophie DP (Imperial College London, Chimp Researcher in Africa)

Paul Antion (Washington University, Madagascar)Han Berry (University of Reading, Biologist)

Erika Fletcher (Journalist) Dr RagnHild Sollund (Norway)

Dr Daniel May Ralph Wainer (University of Nottingham, University of Durham, Molecular Biologist)

Odeta Grabauskaite (Vytautas-Magnus-Universitat Kaunas)Chris Brook (University of Cambridge, Environmental Economist)

Zahra Husain (Imperial College London, Environmental Technology, UN Geneva) Alberto Truccolo (Green Economicts Institute, Milan)

Registration and Bookings for 29th November 2014 Trinity

College, University of Oxford, Green Economics Institute Conference on Green Economics and Biodiversity.

Flat rate pre payment for all attendees £30.00 to cover the cost of the dayPlease email greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com to our Conferences Bookings Manager Hilary Driver, to book and we will send you a paypal or BACs invoice for you to pay on line prior to arrival. Everyone who is paid up will receive a proceedings document with original and new research in it. They will also be eligible to publish in our forthcoming book on Biodiversity of which the conference will form a part. You can also book on eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/biodiversity-ending-the-current-7th-ever-mass-extinction-of-species-tickets-14571356319?ref=estw

Kindest regardsMiriam Kennet and the Management Team of The Green Economics Institute

07990 590464 greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com 01189845914

Photo Bee Colony resident in a honey comb