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UNEP Rapid Response Assessment – June 5, 2010
Dead Planet, Living Planet: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for Sustainable Development
Contributor & Reviewer

Restoring lost and damaged ecosystems-from forests and freshwaters to mangroves and wetlands-can trigger multi-million dollar returns, generate jobs and combat poverty according to a new report compiled by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Launched on the eve of World Environment Day (WED), the report draws on thousands of ecosystem restoration projects world-wide and showcases over 30 initiatives that are transforming the lives of communities and countries across the globe.
http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Observer Organization

SER was an observer organization at the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) held in Bonn, Germany in May 2008, where a Briefing Note on the complementary roles of conservation and restoration within the Ecosystem Approach was released.
https://www.ser.org/pdf/SER_Briefing_Note_May_20082.pdf

Once again SER will be an observer at the COP 10 to be held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010 where SER will also host a side event on the co-benefits of restoring ecosystem services. In preparation for Nagoya, SER was asked to prepare an information note for the meetings of the CBD scientific advisory body.

SER Information Note to the Participants of SBSSTA 14 – May 10-21, 2010
Ecological restoration is driven by the search for pragmatic solutions to environmental and human crises. It is a conscious intervention based on traditional or local knowledge, scientific understanding, and the recognition that what previously existed was precious and indeed necessary for the continued survival of many species, including humans. Strategic, integrated identification and implementation of conservation and restoration activities can help to assure the protection and recovery of species and ecosystems, and the ongoing delivery of ecological goods and services at levels required for a healthy planet.
http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/sbstta/sbstta-14/information/sbstta-14-inf-15-en.pdf

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Science and Technical Review Panel
Observer Organization

SER is an observer organization for the current triennium (2009-2012) of work leading up to the Ramsar COP 11 in early 2012. The Panel is charged with preparing proposals for updating and expanding existing Ramsar guidance on restoration and rehabilitation of lost or degraded wetlands, in the context of Resolution X.16 on A Framework for processes of detecting, reporting and responding to change in ecological character, including approaches to prioritization and links with other Ramsar tools and guidance, inter alia those on climate change and on economic values of ecosystem services.
http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-documents-strp/main/ramsar/1-31-111_4000_0__

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Member

SER has been a member of the IUCN since 1988 and an active participant in various commissions and initiatives throughout the years.

The World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world’s premier network of protected area expertise. It is administered by IUCN’s Programme on Protected Areas and has over 1,400 members, spanning 140 countries. WCPA works by helping governments and others plan protected areas and integrate them into all sectors; by providing strategic advice to policy makers; by strengthening capacity and investment in protected areas; and by convening the diverse constituency of protected area stakeholders to address challenging issues.
http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/

The WCPA Task Force on Ecological Restoration is currently preparing Best Practice Guidelines for Ecological Restoration in Protected Areas for the next World Conservation Congress in 2012. This work builds upon SER’s collaboration with Parks Canada. These Principles and Guidelines for Ecological Restoration in Canada’s Protected Natural Areas represent the first-ever Canada-wide guidance for ecological restoration practices. They result from collaboration among experts and managers from Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial parks and protected areas agencies, Canadian and international universities, the US National Park Service, the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER), and SER’s Indigenous Peoples Restoration Network Working Group.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/docs/pc/guide/resteco/index.aspx

The Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) is one of IUCN’s six scientific Commissions. CEM is a network of volunteer experts from around the world working on ecosystem management related issues. The Commission works closely with other IUCN Commissions, regional offices and global thematic programmes. CEM has identified 19 themes as programmatic priority for 2009 – 2012 in its intersessional plan. Each theme has a group of experts working on issues related to the theme and has a Thematic Group Leader facilitating the group’s composition and functioning.
http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/cem/cem_work/cem_restoration/

Ecological Restoration – a means of conserving biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods – is a call to action by the ecological restoration joint working group of SER and the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management.
http://www.ser.org/content/Globalrationale.asp