Biodiversity, topical theme for RNZIH conference
8 October 2003
Biodiversity is a particularly timely theme for this month’s Royal
New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Conference in Christchurch,
according to Christchurch City Council ’s Parks and Waterways Unit.
“
It comes at a time when the Council is working hard at putting
its biodiversity strategies into place and will bring together some of the
top world authorities on the subject,” Parks and Waterways manager
Anne Greenup said.
“
Following central government’s adoption of the NZ Biodiversity Strategy
in February 2002, Christchurch and Waitakere are the two cities which have
made significant progress in drafting and implementing their own local strategies,” she
said.
As well as addressing the important role of cities in maintaining
biodiversity, the conference will cover the need to focus on
sustainable development; triple bottom line accounting; and
the function of green environments
in maintaining community health and cohesion.
The conference, titled ‘Greening the City: Bringing Biodiversity Back
into the Urban Environment’, will be launched on the evening of Tuesday
21 October, with Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Morgan
Williams delivering a keynote address, ‘The Ecologies of Liveability – Why
Cities Need Biodiversity’.
The following evening, the Canterbury Branch of the RNZIH will
host the 2003 Banks Memorial Lecture - a free lecture open
to the public. Colin Meurk of Landcare Research will speak
on ‘Cities are cultural
and ecological keys to biodiversity futures.’ The lecture will take
place at the Christchurch Girls' High School Auditorium, 10 Matai St, starting
at 7.30pm.
Other key speakers at the conference will include Professor
Chris Baines, one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners; Associate
Professor Mark McDonnell from the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology;
and Mason Tan, landscape architect and director of Mace Studio, Singapore.
For a full list of speakers and the conference programme visit
the website http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/conference2003.htm
Registrations can be made to attend the entire conference
(21-24 October) or daily sessions at the Chateau on the Park, Deans
Ave.
The conference is being sponsored by Christchurch City Council, Environment
Canterbury, Pyne Gould Guiness and Landcare Research.
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