BfN President Beate Jessel Co-Chairs Task Force for China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED)
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Through the European Union, BfN President Beate Jessel was appointed Co-Chair of the international task force on Ecosystem Services and Management in December 2008, with a mandate to support the work of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) for a period of two years.
Established in 1992, CCICED is a high-ranking scientific advisory council to the Chinese government. Its recommendations are presented directly to government. CCICED’s remit includes enhancing cooperation and exchange between China and the international community on issues relating to the environment and development, and providing Chinese decision makers with analysis and commentary on current scientific knowledge and findings.
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Based on the reports presented by CCICED, the Chinese government plans to compile a long-term strategy for integrated environment and development policy. CCICED addresses current environment and development issues on a regular basis in task forces set up for two years at a time. This work is supplemented by broad-based policy research on the targeted issues. The task forces are made up of equal numbers of top Chinese and international scientists. The chair of each task force is shared between a Chinese and an international chairperson.
The Task Force on Environmental Services and Management, whose international co-chairperson is BfN President Beate Jessel, is appointed for the period 2008 to 2010 and has the following main tasks:
- Presenting socioeconomic benefits of sustainable ecosystem management
- Proposing strategies and policy guidelines to conserve ecosystems in China
- Compiling case studies on ecosystem services and best practice examples in ecosystem management
- Presenting science-based recommendations for Chinese policy makers so that ecosystem services can be incorporated into development policy decisions
CCICED Task Force members visit BfN in Bonn
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On 1 October 2010, five renowned members of the CCICED Task Force “Ecosystem Services and Management“ followed BfN's invitation to Bonn. The Chinese scientists attended the presentations of BfN experts with great interest. Approaches protection and use of forests and projects and approaches of valorising ecosystem services in Germany (TEEB Germany) were discussed. During the subsequent field trip to the Siebengebirge Nature Reserve, aspects of implementation were analysed on-site.
CCICED Annual Conference and final Task Force report November 2010
The annual conference of the China Council on International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) took place from 10 till 12 November 2010 with the participation of high-level representatives of the Chinese Government (opening by Vice-Premier, chairing by the Chinese Minister of Environment). Ecosystem aspects received priority, among others, with a task force on ecosystem services that was co-chaired by BfN president Prof. Jessel.
The meeting emphasized the importance of linking ecosystem services with development goals and economical interests. The central aspects of the Task Force’s policy recommendations found it’s way into the final document of the CCICED recommendation. On a council meeting, this document was also presented to and discussed with the Chinese Prime Minister.
Publication of the Task Force's results
The final publication "Ecosystem Services and Management Strategy in China" (released in 2014 by Springer) is based on the main findings of a two-year project of the CCICED Task Force providing insights into the analyses of Chinese ecosystems and their management. Based on an ecosystem approach, the publication presents fundamental knowledge about how to assess economic and social benefits of sustainable ecosystems management. This is showcased by case studies and scenario analyses and regarded within an international context. Furthermore, commonly applied methods to analyse forest, grassland and wetland ecosystems are both presented and discussed.
