BiodiverCities 2010

A detailed version of the final conference program can be found here.

Our original preliminary program follows below:

In an explicitly comparative undertaking, this event will bring together managers both of protected areas and of the cities they intersect, contributing to a community of urban nature researchers & practitioners. In addition to papers selected from an open Call for Contributions, we are also specifically inviting the participation of key actors from four sites in the Urban Protected Areas Network:

Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro)
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Mumbai)
Table Mountain National Park (Cape Town)
Nairobi National Park (Nairobi)

Monday, 6 September 2010 (56, rue Jacob – Paris)

Round Tables with Park & City Managers from across the UPA Network:

For each municipality, an invited official will speak about the complexities of managing a City that contains a National Park; likewise, an invited protected area manager will describe the challenges of managing their Park within a City. The aim is to challenge participants’ expectations during four lively discussions, each animated by a researcher familiar with the specific site, followed by opportunities for plenary discussion.

Tuesday, 7 September 2010 (56, rue Jacob – Paris)

The second day will take place in two parallel tracks, in which practitioners and researchers from other Urban Park settings (both North and South) will present their experiences, while reflecting on the differences and similarities between their contexts and the previous day’s discussions. The Call for Contributions closed on April 5, and we have now selected 20 high-quality submissions, from 13 countries. These presentations will take place in four thematic parallel sessions:

1. Biodiversity without Borders: Conserving Urban Nature within—and beyond—Protected Areas

2. Whose Areas: Conflicts and Dialogues in and around Urban Protected Areas

3. What governance for cities and protected areas?

4. Protecting Areas? What future for this strategy in urban settings.

Wednesday, 8 September 2010 (Excursion to Fontainebleau Forest)

Morning: plenary session on the question « Towards which Urban Natures ? », followed by summary remarks concluding the conference.

Afternoon: Guided visit to the main forest on the Southern edge of Paris and discussions with the Fontainebleau-Gatinais Biosphere Reserve and National Forest Office (ONF) about the opportunites and challenges of managing this Urban Protected Area.

NB: A 15€ participation fee is required for this excursion.