Lezing
SG - Bending the Curve of Biodiversity Loss
How can we understand the sometimes fierce debates surrounding different strategies for biodiversity governance? And what does biodiversity restoration imply in a practical context with multiple competing interests?
About lecture series 'Governing Biodiversity'
With biodiversity levels dwindling in many ecosystems around the globe, the urgency of taking action to stop this decline and to restore biodiversity is increasingly felt. The UN Biodiversity Conference that took place in Montreal last December illustrates biodiversity’s rise on the political agenda, as well as the heated debates regarding the matter. In this programme, we reflect on the governance of biodiversity and its challenges. How can we understand diverging views when it comes to the best way to protect, manage and enhance biodiversity? What happens when competing interests and unintended consequences factor in? And last but not least, what do political fantasies have to do with it? Explore and discuss these issues in this lecture series!
About Bending the Curve of Biodiversity Loss
Awareness regarding the alarming rate of biodiversity loss is growing, and so is the preparedness to counter and reverse this trend. However, views diverge when it comes to the best way to do so. While some are outspoken proponents of so-called fortress conservation, others argue that nature-inclusive practices are the way to go. How can we understand the sometimes fierce debates surrounding different policy strategies?
Tonight, Associate Professor of Governance of Nature and Biodiversity Hens Runhaar explores the beliefs and arguments behind different policy perspectives, and explains how different conceptualisations of biodiversity are at play here. He will then zoom in into the most recent global “30x30” biodiversity target agreed upon during the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal. What will this mean for a densely populated and intensively managed country like the Netherlands? What is needed to effectively govern towards biodiversity restoration in this context, especially regarding the agricultural sector?
About Hens Runhaar
Hens Runhaar is Associate Professor of Governance of Nature and Biodiversity at Utrecht University and Visiting Professor at Wageningen University and Research. His research focuses on interventions by governments, companies and NGOs to protect or enhance nature and biodiversity, particularly in the context of agriculture.
Much of Hens' research is of a multi- and an interdisciplinary nature. With his research he aims to contribute to more effective conservation policies from governments, companies (including farmers) and NGOs. He actively contributes to the societal and political debate about biodiversity governance, addressing topics such as nature-inclusive agriculture and nature-based solutions.