Center for Humans and Nature

Biosphere Ethics Initiative at the 75th meeting of the IUCN Council

December 20th, 2010

Members of the Biosphere Ethics Initiative were invited to present their work, offer ideas of specific programmatic incorporation of BEI into all facets of IUCN, and showcase their particular methodology for future BEI Relatos during the 75th IUCN Council meeting that took place at the IUCN Conservation Center in Gland, Switzerland, from November 18th-20th. The workshop was also aired live to the entire IUCN network via www.iucn.org.

BEI members with IUCN Director General Julia Marton Lefevre

The BEI team that presented the work included Patrick Blandin (BEI Co-Chair and Professor Emeritus of the Paris Muséum nationale d’Histoire naturelle); Kathryn Kintzele (BEI Co-Chair and Director of the Global Program of the Center for Humans and Nature); Karla Monteiro Matos (BEI Co-Chair and Director at the Rio Center for Applied Sustainability); Brendan Mackey (BEI Member and IUCN Councilor for Oceania) and George Rabb (CHN Board Member, BEI Member and former IUCN SSC Chair). The Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, Sheila Abed, chaired the session.

Sheila welcomed the group and highlighted the importance of ethics to law and to all of IUCN. Brendan then gave a brief overview of the originations of the Initiative, with its roots in the Earth Charter, and the history of ethics in IUCN. Katy continued with the Relato methodology, with Karla giving particular aspects of the development of local ethics, including the Indiana Dunes Relato held in September 2010, and the coming Relatos in Rio and Jordan in 2011. Patrick spoke on particular implementation of the BEI with museums and National Biodiversity Strategies, and George closed the session on the ethic of care. The workshop was warmly received and the following day a Resolution was presented and passed by the Programme and Policy Committee of the IUCN Council. On the final day of the Council meeting, the Resolution was passed before the full IUCN Council. It reads,

“On the Recommendation of the Public and Policy Committee, the IUCN Council:

THANKS the Biosphere Ethics Initiative (hereinafter, “BEI”) for its presentation before the full Council and Staff at the 75^th IUCN Council Meeting, and ACKNOWLEDGES the ongoing efforts  of the Commission on Environmental Law and member organizations the Center for Humans and Nature and the Paris Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.

RECOMMENDS that the IUCN Offices in Jordan, Brazil and the United States collaborate with the BEI on the upcoming Relatos in those countries, and that the potential for a Relato in Oceania be explored with the regional office.

RECOMMENDS that the Director General and the Chair of the Commission on Education and Communication collaborate with the Commission on Environmental Law and BEI in organizing (i) a Relato with private sector partners to be hosted by the Center for Humans and Nature (CHN) to be held in Chicago, Illinois; and (ii) a Relato with IUCN staff to be held at IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.

RECOMMENDS that funding be explored with the IUCN Environmental Law Center to help create the BEI Relato Model publication, which will assist in the development of future local ethics by members, helping them to organize their own Relatos.

RECOMMENDS that an on-request ‘Ethics Advisor’ be appointed to the IUCN Council.”

Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), also announced that a new SSC award will be given each year in honor of Dr. George Rabb, for his life-long commitment to species preservation.

Dr. Rabb with Simon Stuart and Jane Smart, Head of the IUCN Species Programme

Please click here for the BEI Packet, Dr. Rabb’s presentation, Dr. Kintzele’s presentation and Ms. Monteiro Matos’s presentation.