Blue Forest Week 2021: An online conference by the Norwegian Blue Forests Network

When: November 16^th (13:00 – 16:00 CET), November 17^th (09:30 – 12:30 CET), and November 18^th (09:30 – 12:30 CET)

Where: Online, register here (free and open)

Note: To access the NBFN Zoom Events Hub, you must have a Zoom account. You must also register separately for each day

More on the event, including a detailed programme, please visit the NBFN website: https://nbfn.no/blue-forest-week/

About the event organizer: (Norwegian Blue Forests Network, nbfn@grida.no)

The Norwegian Blue Forests Network is an initiative by GRID-Arendal, the Institute for Maritime Research (IMR) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Our mission is to be the best source of reliable and up to date knowledge on Norwegian blue forests in order to raise awareness, offer solutions, inspire ecosystem-based policymaking, and encourage the sustainable use of blue forests in Norway and beyond.

About event:

The Norwegian Blue Forests Network (NBFN) will be holding a three-day online conference titled “Blue Forest Week 2021: Solutions” on Tuesday, November 16th to Thursday, November 18th.

Blue forests are coastal ecosystems such as kelp forests, seagrass meadows, salt marshes and mangrove forests. These ecosystems support important nature-based solutions to the climate and environmental crisis. Blue forests are also vital for maintaining a sustainable ocean economy, yet these ecosystems show patterns of decline across the globe.

To examine how these trends can be reversed, the theme of Blue Forest Week 2021 is Solutions. The conference will address two key questions: What is currently being done to protect and restore blue forests, and how can these efforts be scaled and replicated?

The conference opens on November 16^th at 13:00 CET with two sessions geared toward international audiences. The first session will explore key developments for blue forests in light of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) and the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) by speaking with international climate negotiators.

The second session will preview the forthcoming UNEP / NBFN global kelp report, which is an international first in the assessment of kelp diversity, distribution, health, threats, ecosystem services, and knowledge gaps, as well as policy and management challenges and solutions. This session will feature an introductory video from Takehiro Nakamura – Coordinator of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Unit, UNEP – and a panel discussion with several authors of the report, moderated by Linda Jonsson – Associate Expert - GEF International Waters, UNEP.

Days two and three of the conference will primarily be held in Norwegian, with a focus on the current state of Scandinavian blue forests, while the final session of the event, “Blue Forests in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” will be held in English on November 18^th at 10:30 CET. The presentations and panel will discuss novel restoration tools that build resilience to climate change, and will also explore how upscaling global initiatives can match the scale of ecosystem loss.