UNESCO HQ, Paris, France
11-14 December, 2023: GRASP COUNCIL MEETING
The 3rd GRASP Council Meeting will take place from the 11th-14th December 2023, at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their Habitats.
It has been over a decade since the partnership came together, and therefore the 3rd GRASP Council meeting will be convened to consider a wide variety of proposals and issues that will determine the long-term strategy for the conservation of great apes and their habitats in Africa and Asia. This will include developing a new business model for the partnership, electing the new Executive Committee, revising elements of the rules and regulations of GRASP’s mandate, and updating the global strategy for great ape conservation.
LOCATION
TIME AND DATE
Dec 11-14, 2023: full day events
AGENDA
DAY ONE – 11 December 2023 |
| TIME | SESSION |
Morning Session10:00 – 13:00 |
1. Opening
2. Election of Chair 3. Adoption of the Agenda 4. Secretariat Report |
Afternoon Session15:00 – 18:00 |
5. Update on the Status of Great Apes and their Habitats
6. Presentation of the GRASP Review and Key Recommendations |
Evening Session18:30 – 21:00 |
7. Evening Reception |
DAY TWO – 12 December 2023 |
| TIME | SESSION |
Morning Session10:00 – 13:00 |
8. Great Apes and Health
9. GRASP Global Strategy |
Afternoon Session15:00 – 18:00 |
10. Business Model |
Evening Session18:30 – 19:30 |
11. Working Group on Illegal Trade |
DAY THREE – 13 December 2023 |
| TIME | SESSION |
Morning Session10:00 – 13:00 |
12. Large Scale Development and Great Apes’ Discussion
13. Outline of the Workplan |
Afternoon Session15:00 – 18:00 |
14. Revision of the Rules for the Management of GRASP |
Evening Session18:30 – 19:30 |
15. Elections of the Executive Committee |
DAY FOUR – 14 December 2023 |
| TIME | SESSION |
Morning Session10:00 – 13:00 |
16. Innovative Finance Strategies to Benefit Communities who Live with Great Apes
17. Sharing Information on Potential Inclusion of Gibbons 18. Request to Host the Secretariat of the CMS Gorilla Agreement 19. Adoption of Documents |
Afternoon Session15:00 – 18:00 |
19. Continuation: Adoption of Documents |
USEFUL RESOURCES
CO-CHAIRS
MELVIN GUMAL
Dr Melvin Terry Gumal is currently the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Forestry, a statutory body looking after all wildlife and protected areas in Sarawak. His current work covers the following cluster of Divisions: Biodiversity Conservation and Research; Enforcement and Protection; and Conservation Education and Training. Previously he was the Director of Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia. He has a Bachelor of Forest Science from the University of Melbourne, a Master’s of Philosophy and PhD from the University of Cambridge. He serves on several IUCN task forces and is also an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus.
ANDREW SEGUYA
Dr Seguya is the Executive Secretary of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, an IGO (DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda) that collaborates on the conservation of the Greater Virunga Landscape. Dr Seguya was previously the Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
GLADYS KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA
Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award wining NGO that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches. She founded the Gorilla Conservation Coffee to support farmers living around habitats where gorillas are found. Dr. Gladys is a National Geographic Explorer, Ashoka Fellow and Mulago Foundation Henry Arnhold Fellow. She is the current Chairperson of the Africa Chapter of the Explorers Club, on the leadership council of Women for the Environment in Africa, and Vice President of the African Primatological Society.
CONRAD SAVY
Conrad is the regional biodiversity lead for Africa, and a Sr Environmental Specialist, at the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. He is a technical expert, manager, trainer and contributor on biodiversity conservation and development, informed by 22+ years field project experience in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A key strength has been his advanced practical knowledge of safeguards for biodiversity in the context of agribusiness, infrastructure, renewables, and mining projects. Conrad has been at the forefront of creating and applying best practice policies, guidance, tools, and research in this space. His work with private and public sector entities, development financiers, civil society organizations, communities, and academia has facilitated an ability to engage effectively with an extensive network of stakeholders at international and local level in order to deliver these outcomes. He has spearheaded the constructive partnership with IUCN Primate Specialist Group Section on Great Apes to facilitate expert advice on great apes is considered as early as possible in the project development process.
SHELA PATRICKSON
Shela Patrickson has over 16 years’ experience in developing and implementing biodiversity and conservation projects, and developing and nurturing collaboration and partnerships. With an MSc in Environmental and Geographical Science, she has technical expertise in sustainability, biodiversity and conservation, project and proposal development, collaboration and partnerships for effective implementation. Shela has worked at global, regional and national levels, co-hosting events at the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (CBD COP), supporting global policy development and advocacy, and serving on a variety of task teams. She has strategic business development and marketing skills, as well as proficiency in research and writing technical and public-focused publications and other resources. With a passion for supporting and developing sustainable solutions for people and environment in landscapes, Shela currently leads project development and partnerships for the Sustainable Finance Coalition.
HJALMAR KÜHL
Prof. Kühl is Head of the Zoology Department and Head of the Section Mammalogy at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz and Professor of Mammalian Biodiversity at the Technical University in Dresden. Hjalmar’s research interests focus on various aspects in ape conservation, the development of wildlife survey and monitoring techniques, as well as questions in ape population ecology. In collaboration with the IUCN/SSC/PSG section on great apes he implemented the A.P.E.S. database project to compile and meta-analyse great ape survey data.
GRASP SECRETARIAT
DR. JOHANNES REFISCH
Johannes leads the secretariat for the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), a unique alliance of member nations, research institutions, conservation organizations, United Nations agencies and private supporters that is based at UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) headquarters in Nairobi. Johannes has a Diploma degree in animal ecology and has held scientific positions in Germany, Switzerland and the United States. He was co-director of the Tai Monkey Project in Cote d’Ivoire, and the results of his PhD work in 2001 resulted in a Research Conservation Award from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques. Johannes relocated to East Africa in 2005, and worked as a programme manager for the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), then joined GRASP in 2006. He is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Primate Specialist Group and the IUCN Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group. He has a wide experience in natural resource management (NRM) and assisted GTZ (German Technical Cooperation), IGCP, WWF and UNEP in designing, supervising and implementing NRM projects.
