International Satoyama Initiative

The International Satoyama Initiative (ISI) project works to promote the Satoyama Initiative, a global effort to realize societies in harmony with nature through the revitalization and sustainable management of “socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes” (SEPLS) for biodiversity and human well-being. SEPLS are areas where human well-being and the ecosystem have a symbiotic relationship, each benefitting from the other.

ISI supports this concept through:

1. Research: ISI actively contributes to the growing body of literature on SEPLS, and continues to expand and strengthen its network with other leading researchers and organizations.

2. Networking and capacity building: ISI hosts the Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI), which has more than 250 partners around the world. IPSI was launched during the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) in October 2010, and is actively engaged in global, regional, and sub-regional training and capacity-building events (organized by UNU, the CBD Secretariat, and others) towards implementation of the Satoyama Initiative and the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the process to develop the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

3. Policy contribution: ISI contributes to policymaking processes at the international level, particularly those of the CBD and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

4. Outreach and communication: ISI engages in a wide range of international events, often in collaboration with IPSI members, to spread awareness and raise the profile of the Satoyama Initiative. The project also produces promotional publications for a general audience and maintains websites, a newsletter and other communications materials for IPSI.

For more information, please visit the IPSI website.