The First NESS International Science Congress Successfully Held
"An Eco-Security System for All People" Haikou Initiative Issued
Videos: 1 Participant Response | 2 Theme introduction | 3 International Cooperation Approaches
During November 18~19 2022, the first "NESS International Science Congress and Workshop on An Eco-Security System for All People" was successfully held in Haikou, Hainan Province (+online). The Congress was sponsored by Haikou Forestry Bureau, NESS International Science Network and Hainan Normal University, and co-organized by 22 organizations. 202 experts and scholars from 26 countries and 156 institutions participated, and jointly call international scientific community and scientists from all countries over the world for support to the "One Target—An Eco-Security System for All People (Haikou Initiative)".
The opening ceremony of the Congress was chaired by Mr. Ke Zhou, Professor, Law School, Renmin University and Vice President, Society of Environmental and Resource Law, Chinese Law Society. Ms. Na Liu, Deputy Head, Meilan District, Haikou City; Mr. Jun Qian, Director, Haikou Forestry Bureau; Dr. Jinfeng Zhou, Deputy President and Secretary-General, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation; Mr. Xiwu Zhang, Vice President, China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) and Director, National Park and Nature Reserve Committee, CWCA and Professor Haitao Shi, Vice president of Hainan Normal University, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.
Julio C. Calvo-Alvarado, Academician, National Academy of Sciences, Costa Rica; Piero Schneider Graziosi, Member, Technical and Scientific Committee, Italian Park Committee; Wimonmart Nuipakdee, Director, Kunkhan National Park, National Park Administration, Ministry of Wildlife and Plant Protection, Thailand; Dian Oktaviani, Conservation Biologist, National Re-search and Innovation Agency, Indonesia; Gansukh Sukhchuluun, Professor, Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences; Bogdan Catalina, Director, Mount Malamure Natural Park, Romania; Sylvie Andriambololonera, Project Leader, Cissari Botanical Garden, Madagascar, and many universities and institutions from China sent videos to congratulate the congress.
Dexin Tian, the Founder, Chief Scientist and Secretary-General of NESS International Science Network, delivered a special report on the congress theme: “One Target—An Eco-Security System for All People”; Peng Zhou, Department Deputy Director, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, Hainan Provincial Forestry Bureau, introduced the experience of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park; Tianbao Qin, Director, Institute of Environmental Law, Wuhan University, introduced the development process and significance of environmental human rights; and Shubang Wu, Deputy Director, Haikou Wetland Conservation Management Center, introduced the experience of Haikou International Wetland City. The Congress held several rounds of in-depth discussions and communication on the theme of “An Eco-Security System for All People”.
In the morning of the 19th, the participants further discussed the Initiative (Draft) in groups and reached consensus on sup-porting the Initiative. The participants also discussed the potential work and cooperation that could be carried out in the future on the theme of "An Eco-Security System for All People" in combination with their relevant fields.
In the end, Professor Ke Zhou announced that the Congress reached a consensus, and the congress formally proposes to the international scientific community and scientists from all countries the following initiative: "One Target—An Eco-Security System for All People" Haikou Initiative:
It calls on scientists, universities, scientific research institutes and other institution in various countries to pay close attention to the Eco-Security bottom-line necessary for the long-term survival of the children of ourselves and our own countries, and people of our own countries, have the courage to take our responsibility, and actively support and participate in relevant scientific research and collaborative actions in their countries.
It calls on the international scientific community, universities, research institutions, and international organizations to pay attention to the Eco-Security targets needed for the sustainable survival of all children and mankind around the world, form consensus and actively support and participate in relevant scientific research collaborations and joint actions around the theme of establishing "An Eco-Security System for All People".
After the congress, the NESS International Science Network will continue to call for support to the Initiative from countries around the world to promote more international scientific communication and cooperation. Focusing on the theme of "An Eco-Security System for All People", we will build a long-term "NESS International Science Congress" communication platform to actively provide scientific support for the long-term survival and global sustainable development of people around the world.
[Background information]
At present, global crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution have posed serious threats to the long-term survival and development of human beings. The building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind (CSFM) includes tasks in many fields, such as economy, science and technology, ecological environment, public health, food security and so on. Among them, the "Eco-Security" conditions necessary for the long-term survival of global human beings (people of all countries) are the important cornerstone of the CSFM.
The Congress noted that the latest authoritative global scientific reports (IPBES, IPCC, Global Environment Outlook, etc.), based on the collection and compiling of extensive global data, analyzed, summarized and predicted that global crises have posed serious threats to the long-term survival and development of human beings. The Global Risk Report 2022 released by the Global Economic Forum lists "failure of climate action", "extreme weather" and "loss of biodiversity" as the three most serious risks in the world, which are the most threatening factors to human beings and the Earth.
However, the global ecosystem is closely linked, and ecological disasters often cross regions and countries. Disasters such as climate change and the COVID-19 affect the whole world. Individual, one discipline, and national (regional) forces cannot comprehensively deal with these disasters. At present, various interests and development goals are often incompatible or even contradictory; the fragmentation, division, opposition and conflict of human society are intensifying; since the pandemic of COVID-19, the social cohesion of all countries has been further weakened. Human society urgently needs to gather strength and unite to deal with global ecological crises.
The Eco-Security conditions necessary for the long-term survival of mankind (people of all countries) are the important cornerstone of the CSFM. Seeded in gene of species, everyone in the world would wish their children to live in a healthy ecological environment. Therefore, the establishment of "An Eco-Security System for All People" (ESSAP) is a specific, basic and long-term common goal (One Target) relevant to everyone, every family and people of every country. The One Target would be possible to promote reaching broad consensus, pull the strength of people of all countries, stimulate the strong pollical willingness of governments of all countries to jointly cope with the global crisis.
Just as every country shall build its own food security system, every country should also build its own National Eco-Security System (NESS), including the natural ecosystem necessary for the long-term survival of its people (the composition, quantity, quality, composition and spatial proportion); and the management system and social cooperation system at the national level to ensure its security. Based on the NESS of all countries in the world, it would be possible to jointly form the global "An Eco-Security System for All People".
There is still serious knowledge gaps on how to build NESSs and achieve the One Target. The existing knowledge, information management and social coordination capacity are far from enough to answer the key question related to human long-term survival. The natural and geographical conditions, society, population, needs, and development patterns are so different in different countries, and it is obviously difficult to promote the NESS of different countries with unified standards and methods. Therefore, it is urgent to advocate and promote the scientific community of each country to actively carry out relevant research.