Bonn (DE): The German Youth Association for the Protection of Nature (NAJU*) invited members of EarthCollective to host a workshop at their International Youth Conference in Bonn, May 13th-19th, 2008. Alongside a number of critical workshop topics related to the future of biodiversity, EarthCollective delivered two three-hour workshops on the topic “Ecosystems on the Edge: Contrasting Perspectives”.

Participants to the workshop were introduced to the topic of ecosystem services and encouraged to discuss their own perceptions of ecosystem services (“What did nature do for you today?”), their relative importance and how this is connected to species diversity. The workshop covered various aspects of ecosystem services in practice: global trends, valuation, markets and financing, case studies, policy relevance, public education and marketing.

One of the key take home messages was that the importance of biodiversity is often overlooked when identifying meaningful ecosystem services for people. It is necessary to account for the influence that our (cultural/societal) perceptions have when placing values on nature. In focusing on the most valuable (meaningful) benefits of nature for people, we need to ensure at the same time that these services can be used as leverage for achieving a range of biodiversity conservation goals.

EarthCollective will re-invest their workshop fee into landscape and biodiversity restoration in South Africa.

*NAJU is the biggest environmental organisation for youth in Germany. It offers a framework for children and young adults aged between 6 to 27 to protect nature and the environment. The emphasis of NAJU’s activities lies in environmental education and practical nature conservation.