CCI Freshwater Biodiversity Day

On Wednesday 25th March, CCI will host its first Freshwater Biodiversity Day. The event will take place from 09:30-18:00 in the Main Seminar Room of the David Attenborough Building, with colleagues also being able to join virtually for most sessions.

The aim of the day is three-fold:

• To increase knowledge of freshwater biodiversity related issues amongst CCI colleagues
• To share existing work on freshwater biodiversity being undertaken by individual CCI partners and through existing CCI collaborations
• To set up a CCI freshwater biodiversity community of practice (CoP)

Agenda

09:30-10:00 Introduction

10:00-11:00 Speed talks from CCI partners on their FW biodiversity work

11:00-11:45 CCI Choir performance and freshwater biodiversity Bake Off (In-person only - see poster)

11:45-12:30 Speed talks continued

12:30-14:00 Lunch, with optional trip to Sheep’s Green (In-person only – please see details below*)

14:00-14:45 Previous freshwater biodiversity collaborations in CCI

14:45-15:45 Setting up a CCI community of practice on freshwater biodiversity

15:45-16:00 Break

16:00-17:00 Seminar on SHOAL’s 1,000 fishes initiative (please see details below and poster**)

17:00-18:00 Happy hour (In-person only)

Registration

Please register here for both in person and online attendance for activities up until the SHOAL seminar at 4pm. There is separate registration to attend the Seminar on SHOAL's 1,000 fishes initiative online (see below).

If you plan to join for lunch and would like food provided then please register by 15th March.

*Optional trip to Sheep’s Green

The UK has lost much of its biodiversity, making it one of the most nature impoverished countries by international standards. To help address this loss developments in England must now deliver a minimum 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), a collaboration of 3 local authorities tasked with delivering around £1 billion investment in and around Cambridge, aims to achieve an ambitious 20% BNG across its infrastructure programme. The scale of this and the relative novelty of the BNG regulations presents both challenges and opportunities. With limited availability of aquatic BNG on the open market, local government officials have developed a plan to restore the flow of water to historic dry channels on Coe Fen and Sheep's Green in central Cambridge. Join the team for a visit to the project site (9 mins walk from the DAB), hear how national and local policy drove and funded the work, and learn how the restoration of streamways will change this part of the city. Please indicate on the event registration if you plan to join the site visit.

**Seminar on SHOAL’s 1,000 fishes initiative

This seminar will cover SHOAL’s 1000 Fishes Initiative: their flagship initiative to accelerate action for freshwater species, spearheaded by action for the world’s most threatened fishes. This global collaboration, given the right investment, participation and intensity of support, will lift freshwater fishes and potentially thousands of other neglected freshwater species and habitats, to a new elevated platform of conservation attention and in doing so halting the decline to extinction for many species and will greatly enhance freshwater conservation efforts globally. To attend the seminar online please register on IUCN Engage (please note this is separate to registration for the rest of the events).

Please contact catherine.sayer@iucn.org with any questions.

See CCI  Hive listing here.