Società Botanica Italiana onlus

Associazione scientifica fondata nel 1888

Biodiversity, Desertification, Water, Food and Human Rights
An International Meeting of Knowledge, Experiences and Testimonies

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Great Hall, Faculty of Agriculture - Sassari University,
Sardinia, Italy
September, 18-19-20th 2008


THURSDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
8:30-9:00 Registration

9:00-10:00 – Welcome of Authorities

Gianfranco Ganau, Mayor of Sassari Town
Alessandra Giudici, President of Sassari Province
Alessandro Maida, Rector of University of Sassari
Renato Soru, President of Autonomous Region of Sardinia
Other Authorities

SESSION I - BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEMS: A GLOBAL PATRIMONY TO BE PROTECTED
10:00-13:30 - CHAIRMAN/MODERATOR: MIKE MANFREDO

10:00 - Jacob von Uexcull, Founder, the Right Livelihood Award and the World Future Council, Hamburg, Germany.
Diversity and a sustainable livelihood of future generations.
10:20 - Mike Manfredo, Dep. Head Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism,Colorado State University, USA.
Human dimensions of natural resources.
10:40 - Sandro Pignatti, Prof. emeritus of Ecology, Accademy of Lincei, Italy.
Biodiversity, genetic, ecological and cultural erosion in the Mediterranean basin.
11:00 - Andrei Laletin, Global Forest Coalition, Krasnojarsk, Russia.
Siberian Taiga: its importance and threats to the biom.
11:20 - Wolfgang Schumacher, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, INRES. Ecology of Cultural Landscape, Geobotany and Nature Protection, Germany.
Broad-leaves Forests and naturalisation process in central Europe.
11:40 - Mohamed Rejdali, Laboratory of Botany. Department of Plant Ecology, Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
Biodiversity in North-Africa, local uses and management.
12:00 - Nobert Jürgens, Biocentre Klein Flottbek University of Hamburg, Germany.
Dryland ecosystems and Biodiversity in Africa: The role of local communities.
12:20 - Samuel Muhunyu, Network for Ecofarming for Africa, Kenya.
Food Security and Biodersity Protection in Africa.
12:40 - Marina Silva, Senator, Former Brazilian Environmental Minister, Brazil.
The Amazon Rainforest as a strategic resource for Humanity.
13:00-13:30 - DISCUSSION /Q AND A

SESSION IIA - DIVERSITY: LIFE AND CULTURES UNDER THREAT - CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
15:30-18:30 -- CHAIRMAN /MODERATOR: IGNAZIO CAMARDA

15:30 - Mark A. Davis, Department of Biology, Macalester College, USA.
Globalisation and biological invasions: impacts on native biodiversity.
15:50 - Carlos Ramirez, lnstitute of Botany and Statistics. Southern University of Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
Forest Decline and alien plants in Chile.
16:10 - Phil Hulme, Bio-Protection Centre, Lincoln University, New Zealand.
Biological invasions: do we have the right management and policy tools to respond?
16:30 - Roberto Pantaleoni, Department of Plant Protection, University of Sassari. Italy.
Impact of exotic insect pests on Sardinian landscape and culture.
16:50 - Laszlo Rakosy & Elena Rakosy-Tican, University, Babes-Bolyai, Cluj, Romania.
Traditional Romanian agriculture landscape change and its effects on vegetation and insect populations.
17:10 - Eladio Fernandez Galiano, Head of the Biological Diversity Unit, Council of Europe.
The threat of biological invasion in Europe in a context of Climate Change: European responses.
17:30-18:30 - DISCUSSION /Q AND A

SESSION IIB - DIVERSITY: LIFE AND CULTURES UNDER TREATH - CLIMATIC CHANGE AND DESERTIFICATION
15:30-19:30 - CHAIRMAN/MODERATOR: SEN. BRUNO DETTORI

15:30 - Antonio Navarra. Director, European Center for Climatic Changes. IPCC-Italy.
Climatic change between certainties and uncertainties.
15:50 - Angelo Aru, Former Professor of Geopedology at Cagliari University, Italy.
Soil degradation and desertification - social aspects of a similar problem.
16:10 - Valerio Calzolaio, UNCCD Consultant, Italy.
Climate change, climatic migration and climate refugees.
16:30 - Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Benin.
Desertification, land degradation and Drought, a civilization issue. UNCCD and the role of land in the carbon economy.
16:50 - Hama Arbo Diallo, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Burkina Faso.
Awareness and actions of Governments to combat desertification:10 years of experience.
17:10 - Mahamat Moukthar Djbrine, Director, National Institute of Human Sciences, University of N’Djamena, Chad.
Sahel geosystem and desertification.
17:30 - Giuseppe Enne & Pier Paolo Roggero, NRD (Research Unit Desertification), University of Sassari, Italy.
Cooperation projects to combat desertification: lessons learned by NRD and implications for future actions.
17:50 - Mariam Akhtar-Schuster, Co-chair of the European Network for Global Desertification Research, Biocentre Klein Flottbek,University of Hamburg, Germany.
A Newly Emerged Global Network of Scientists for Desertification Research – Strengthening the Science/Policy Interface and Promoting Cutting Edge Science for Dryland Development.
18:10 - Riccardo Petrella, President, European Research Institute on Water Policy, Lovanio University, Belgium.
Climatic change, Water and Desertification. Beyond Technology.
18:30-19:30 - DISCUSSION /Q AND A

FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER

SESSION III - BIOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, PATENTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
9:00-13:30 – CHAIRMAN: PROF. PIETRO LUCIANO

09:00 - Vandana Shiva, Founder, Navdanya, Physicist, Activist and Author, India.
Sharing Earth’s Bounty - Humanity’s path to peace and justice.
09:30 - Elisabeth Dodinet, Secretary Société Botanique de France.
Trade and uses of exotic aromatic and medicinal plants and spices. The emergence of a world system - a view from antique and modern Mediterranean.
09:50 - Mario Agabbio, Department of Agri-Crops and Biotechnology , Sassari University. Italy.
Agro-Biodiversity and genetic patrimony of crop-plant ancestors.
10:10 - Ignazio Camarda, Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sassari University, Italy.
Can species be owned?
10:30 - Paolo Fois, Department of Economy, Institution and Society. Sassari University, Italy.
Multinationals and Biodiversity.
10:50 - Marcello Buiatti, Department of genetics, University of Florence, Italy.
GMOs – a false solution to feeding the world.
11:10 - Debi Barker, Co-Director, International Forum on Globalization, USA.
Industrial agriculture - A threat to food security.
11:30 - Marina Silva, Senator, Former Brazilian Environmental Minister, Brazil.
Biodiversity and sustainability – Keystones to life.
12:00-13:30 - DISCUSSION /Q AND A

SESSION IV – HUMANITY’S COMMON GOODS AND SOVEREINGTY RIGHTS
15:30-19:00 - CHAIRMAN: MARINA SILVA
15:30 - Janice Jiggins, Wageningen University Research, Communication and Innovation Studies, Food and Soils, The Netherlands.
When 'business as usual ' is not an option, what are the choices for decision makers? Insights from the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development.
15:50 - Maria Grazia Mammuccini, Administrator ARSIA, Tuscan Region, Italy.
Regional self-determination, Local, Diverse and GMO-free.
16:10 - Giovanni Cordini, ICEF – International Court of the Environment Foundation, University of Pavia, Italy.
Water rights and the Right to water.
16:30 - Qiu Sun, Integrated Rural Development Research Institute, Guzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China.
The stakeholders and their stake holding in water management.
16:50 - Vandana Shiva, Enclosure and Recovery of the Commons – Food and Water.

17:10-19:00 - DISCUSSION /Q AND A

SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER
SESSION V - CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURE’S COMMONS: THE FUTURE OF FOOD AND WATER SECURITY.
9:30-12:00 - CHAIRMAN/MODERATOR VANDANA SHIVA

9:30-12:00 – OPENING COMMENTS AND PRESENTATION OF A DRAFT DOCUMENT.- ALL PARTICIPANTS.

18-19-20TH SEPTEMBER
SESSION VI - ACTIVITIES OF UNIVERSITIES AND NGOS OF THE SARDINIAN REGION; ACTIVITIES OF OTHER INSTITUTIONS; FREE PRESENTATION OF POSTERS.

POST-CONFERENCE SESSION
SEPTEMBER 21-22TH 2008 – EXCURSION TO CLIMACIC MEDITERRANEAN FORESTS IN CENTRAL SARDINIA.