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Webinars and virtual meetings:

ECOLOGY & EARTH SCIENCES 2020 FALL WEBINARS -- Dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity hotspot areas and geological heritage in Arab Region

A new webinars edition on UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in the Arab Region

The first webinar entitled “UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks: Policies, Programme & Designation Process” held on October 27 2020, falls within the 2020 plan of activities to strengthen the Arab MAB Network.  The webinar organized by the UNESCO Regional Office for Science in the Arab States in Cairo, addressed the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme, the concept of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and the designation process and nomination dossier.  The webinar hosted virtually around 50 participants from all the relevant sectors in Member States in the Arab Region. The presentations shed the light on the importance of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in biodiversity conservation, improving local livelihoods and promoting sustainable development at local level as well as supporting countries in the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). Case studies were presented to demonstrate and pinpoint to the economic value of these sites for local and national economy.  The direct and indirect values of ecosystem services were highlighted as well as their benefit to society at local and national levels.  The last session of the webinar opened the ground for the countries to propose list of sites having the potential to be designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Participants from each member states presented rapidly sites characteristics and features. The webinar also brought a rapid check on the difference between Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks and launched a call to action to strengthen the ArabMAB network, bring new UNESCO Biosphere Reserves to join the network, to foster cooperation and sharing of experience. 

A virtual tour in the Global Geopark Network and their designation process

The second webinar entitled “UNESCO Geoparks: Programmes & Ways to Preserve and Manage the Geological Heritage” was organized by UNESCO Regional Office for Science in the Arab States in Cairo on November 3, 2020.  The webinar focused on the global aspects of geological heritage conservation while tapping on the foundation of the Global Geopark Network and its history presented by Prof. Nikolas ZOUROS – Global Geoparks Network President. It presented UNESCO Global Geoparks concept and their designation process by Dr. Elsa Sattout – Programme Specialist of the Ecology and Earth Sciences Programme. The webinar attended by 60 participants from relevant sectors in countries from the Region is part of the 2020 Agenda of the EES Programme. It was organized in the context of its endeavor to push forward the establishment of the Arab Geopark Network. The various steps involving the submission of the nomination dossier including the letter of intent, timeline and the components of the nomination dossier were presented. The webinar offered a space to Member States representatives to present a list of UNESCO Aspiring Global Geoparks (Uaggp) with their characteristics and features with the aim to build up the Uaggp list in the Arab region and to support countries in their designation. The webinar was closed with a second call to action to work on the preparedness of these sites to promote the protection of the geological heritage in the Arab Region.    

Webinar on Effective Management of ArabMAB network in the Arab Region

The official work on the development of tools to guide managers to foster the role of Biosphere Reserves in the Arab Region in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development was launched on December 8 2020. The webinar brought together around 30 participants from the region to discuss an index toolkit on effective management of the ArabMAB network and to launch a data mining and gathering exercise. The development of the index toolkit is led by the Ecology and Earth Sciences Programme at UCO in close partnership with the ArabMAB steering committee members and the ArabMAB network. The preparatory work is tapping on the existing management tracking tools to ensure originality and specifity of the toolkit and to avoid redundancy. It addresses environmental indices, social and economic attributes, and benchmarks for effective management of Biosphere Reserves in the Arab region.  The development of the index toolkit addresses the integration of the MAB policies and action plans including the Seville Strategy, Madrid Action Plan, Pamplona Action Plan, MAB Strategy 2015-2025, and Lima Action plan. The toolkit will offer means to ensure the alignment of the management plans of the Biosphere Reserves with the strategic objectives of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and international environmental policies. 

Ecology & Earth Sciences Spring & Summer 2020 Virtual Meetings

ArabMAB Network community

A Series of virtual meetings organized from May until October brought together Biopshere Reserves Managers from the Arab Region with the ArabMAB steering committee members to discuss the plan of the 50^th anniversary of the Man and Biosphere Programme. Virtual meetings addressed also the two Women & Girls and Youth initiatives launched by UCO to invite Biosphere Reserves communities to reconnect with nature in time and after COVID-19 crisis. A virtual working group meeting was the last in a row held to introduce the assessment of the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on Arab Biosphere Reserves and the related survey was launched in November 2020.

ArabMAB Youth

ArabMAB Youth got together from May until October 2020 to discuss ways of Youth involvement of the educational toolkit on ArabMAB network and development of the publication on traditional knowledge in Biosphere Reserves in the Arab Region. The last meeting held addressed youth leadership and involvement in the planned 50^th MAB anniversary initiatives and activities.

Ecology & Earth Sciences Publications

Biosphere Reserves in the Arab region: Outreaching to Society

Biosphere Reserves represent gateways for city dwellers, villagers and travelers from all over the world. They are sort of inspirational magnet where one can experience the sense of belonging to Earth heritage and to link with countries and their respective identities while experiencing various ways of bonding with nature, indulging intangible local heritage, discovering culture and local traditions.

This first edition of the Arab Biosphere Reserve book explores the diversity within UNESCO biosphere reserves in the Arab Region. It sheds light on their wildlife and diverse socio-cultural identities. The publication aims at showing the ecological, social and economic values of biosphere reserves while presenting biodiversity richness, uses of plants, the role of women in the management schemes and research and development agendas whenever the case and information are available. It indirectly identifies the interventions needed at the ecological, social and economic levels and opportunities for the advancement of research studies and the need for multidisciplinarity. It brings forward the role of these sites in wildlife protection, livelihood improvement, women empowerment and advancement in science at the grass-root level. 

Geological Heritage in the Arab Region: Value for Research & Development

The book sheds light on important geological sites that are in need of conservation, and presents the dynamics involved in geoscience research in the Arab Region. It introduces the International Geoscience Programmes and the designation process of UNESCO Global Geoparks. This first edition aims to promote the concept of UNESCO Global Geoparks in countries, as well as serve as a way to support the establishment of the Arab Geopark Network and setting the means of fostering geosciences research in the region. Ultimately, it attempts to mobilize efforts for better geological heritage conservation and management in an era when natural resources are at high risk of degradation and the impacts of climate change threaten the existence of records of both human history as well as evolution of the Earth. 

Upcoming ATLAS on Natural Hazards in the Arab Region: A tool for socio-ecological systems resilience and adaptation

E-Dialogue on urgent interventions to build socio-ecological systems resilience in Egypt and Jordan

August 13, 2020 – The first E-Dialogue was held to launch the activities of the project entitled   ‘Urgent Interventions to Build Socio-Ecological Systems Resilience to Natural Hazards in MENA region’.  The meeting brought together representatives of national competent authorities managing disaster risks in Egypt and Jordan to introduce the project and set the criteria for the selection of prone areas to multiple hazards in each of Jordan and Egypt.

The project with the motto “U&I - Build resilience” to save lives and properties, provides measures and tools to boost ecosystem resilience and community’s readiness in addressing and managing natural hazard risks. Its aim is to put in place schemes based on evidenced-based policies to ensure good practices in managing natural hazards in fragile settings in the Arab region. The project will target two pilot sites featuring different land use types in urban and rural areas in Egypt and Jordan. Local Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction strategies will be developed to ensure well-rounded communities ready to address the risks pre-, during and post natural hazard events. Together, they will build expertise and strengthen the capacity of national and local institutions to reduce natural hazards risks. The activities will kick off in April 2020 and will be managed by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States Office in Cairo in close coordination with UNESCO’s Amman Office.

UCO Outreaching to Member States to strengthen community resilience in times of COVID-19

IDB 2020: Reconnecting with nature 

Two initiatives were launched on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) 2020. They are addressed to women and youth to reconnect with nature during and post COVID-19 crisis. The initiatives invite both women and youth to share how they have spent their days involving photography, diary and traditional food recipes prepared, and traditional crafts.

ArabMAB Educational toolkit: communities as the ‘makers’ of characters   

An Illustration competition were launched in December 2020 inviting people from all ages to be the ‘Makers’ of the identity, profile and character of a boy and a girl who will be exploring UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in the Arab Region (for details see attached document) and connect with the wildlife and local communities living within and beyond them. The educational toolkit will be used in schools, clubs among other entities and biosphere reserves in the Mashreq countries, Maghreb (North Africa), and Gulf countries.

The competition is launched in the context of a Regional initiative undertaken by the Ecology and Earth Sciences Programme at Cairo Office to step beyond UNESCO biosphere reserves and countries to ‘inter-connect’ nationally and internationally designated sites; namely, RAMSAR sites, Important Plant Areas, Important Bird Areas, national parks, nature reserves/protected areas, and Hemas in the 19 countries in Arab Region.