On 12 and 18 June 2014, project workshops entitled "Biodiversity and development - Different biodiversity narratives and their implications for international cooperation" took place in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Quito (Ecuador). The subsequent expert workshop was held in Berlin (Germany) on 3 July 2014. Discussions focused on how different perceptions of nature and biodiversity can potentially lead to divergent conservation and management strategies, and thereby affect development cooperation at the national and local levels. The workshop series was organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The presentation slides are available for download.

The workshops provided an opportunity to learn from Ethiopian and Ecuadorian experts and stakeholders active in the fields of development, biodiversity and nature conservation. On the basis of interactive sessions, the workshop produced recommendations for optimizing the consideration of alternative perspectives and views on biodiversity within development policy and international cooperation. 

The workshops comprise part of the Institute's work within a project on the role of biodiversity  in international cooperation and in different economic models, which is funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with the GIZ.

The results of the workshops will complement desk research and interviews with experts conducted within the scope of the project. The final report, entitled “Quality of Life, Well-Being and Biodiversity. The role of biodiversity in future development models“, is expected in September 2014.