Drought resilience and biodiversity conservation are closely interlinked. Conservation efforts that protect and restore biodiversity help maintain ecosystem services, such as water retention and soil health, which are crucial for mitigating the impacts of drought. Healthy and diverse ecosystems can also withstand and recover from droughts more easily. Preserving biodiversity strengthens ecosystems’ natural ability to endure drought conditions and enhances long-term sustainability.  

This webinar focuses on the interlinkages between drought risk management and biodiversity conservation. To kick off the webinar, a keynote will be delivered by Tristan Tyrrell, Programme Management Officer for Biodiversity, Climate Change and Dry and& Subhumid Lands at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

The keynote presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with UNCCD National Focal Points and national experts from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, who will be sharing their country perspectives on the drought-biodiversity connection:  Nana Bolashvili, UNCCD Science and Technology Correspondent of Georgia, Arevik Hovsepyan, President of Country Water Partnership Armenia, Alice Savadyan, GWP CACENA Regional Council Member, and Dr. Arkadiy Tishkov, Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Head of the Biogeography Laboratory of the Institute of Geography of the RAS.  

This webinar is co-organized by UNCCD, CBD and GWP under the umbrella of the UNCCD Community of Learning and Practice on Drought Management in Central and Eastern Europe. In English, with Russian interpretation. Register on Zoom