Friday 04 September 2020
The annual Inter-Island Environment Meeting (IIEM) is set to go ahead via virtual conferencing this year due to the uncertainty of travel around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IIEM is an annual event which the Channel Islands take turns to host; this year hosting duties fall to Guernsey. It is an opportunity for governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and interested parties to come together from across the Crown Dependencies and further afield to discuss the valuable work they are undertaking to conserve local and global environments.
The IIEM's were started in 2000, so this year marks the 20th anniversary of the meetings.
A series of talks will be delivered via Zoom to an audience of delegates on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th September 2020. Speakers and representatives from the Channel Islands and beyond will cover a wide range of topics over the two days.
The United Nation's 'Decade of Biodiversity' is coming to an end in 2020. Day 1 of the meeting will look back at the projects that have taken place over the last decade. This is an opportunity for speakers to review what has been learnt about our island's biodiversity and assess the progress made in the last 10 years.
2020 is also the start of the United Nation's 'Decade of Ecosystem Restoration' and Day 2 will be working with this theme to plan for the future. Climate change mitigation and adaptation, water and food security, economic growth, and biodiversity conservation all depend on thriving, well-functioning ecosystems. Speakers will be looking at ways to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems within our islands.
Delegates will also hear about updates to on-going projects previously presented at the IIEM, and about Guernsey's new Strategy for Nature.
Julia Henney, Biodiversity Officer commented:
"We are fortunate to have close working relationships with many colleagues from across the Channel Islands, largely due to the IIEMs, which are a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge, information and support. They're also a great chance for the public to hear more about the wonderful work that is happening in the Channel Islands."
Donna Francis, member of La Société Guernesiaise commented:
"The IIEM has gone from strength to strength with more delegates attending and countless projects and data being shared. Our Pollinator Project is testament to how sharing resources and working in partnerships works so well. We learn from each other and we are inspired by the work undertaken on each island."
The event is free and interested members of the public are also welcome to attend. Delegates must register to attend the meeting by booking through Eventbrite:
IIEM 2020 - Day 1: https://iiem2020day1.eventbrite.co.uk
IIEM 2020 - Day 2: https://iiem2020day2.eventbrite.co.uk
Please note that you must book each day that you wish to attend as a separate link to each online meeting will be sent out to those registered only.
For further information please email iiem2020@gov.gg or visit the dedicated Facebook page.
