On the occasion of the IUCN 2020 World Conservation Congress, COAL and its partners bring together many actors from nature and culture to define the challenges, perspectives and methods of better collaboration between the sectors of culture and those for the protection and enhancement of living things (by invitation).

These meetings will take place at MuCEM to share good practices and promote the integration of culture in defense and nature protection policies, to federate resources, share and enhance the knowledge, examples and perspectives that nourish public policies. The objective will be in particular to define cultural ecosystem services, Culture based solutions echoing Nature based solutions, which help to initiate a new culture of nature.

It is also a question of specifying the modalities of intervention of the artists on these subjects and of encouraging the taking into account of these artistic practices in the policies of sensitization and conservation of nature. These meetings could thus lead to the creation of awareness and training modules on cultural issues for stakeholders in the territory, to be integrated during the annual congresses of the various federations.

Articulating around an exchange of know-how, the Professional Workshops claim to reinforce intersectoral and multi-stakeholder dialogues. They also aim to underline the need for support and targeted funding from the public sector in order to ensure the leadership of the cultural sector to preserve, restore, enhance, enhance biodiversity and ensure its sustainable and equitable use. (see the National Biodiversity Strategy).

Supported by COAL, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition, these Workshops are held in partnership with many partners including the French committee of IUCN, the French Office for Biodiversity, the Natural Reserves of France, Billebaude review, Bureau des guides, Institut Pythéas. They benefit from the support of the European Union via the ACT network, as well as the Ministries of Culture and the Ecological and Solidarity Transition.

Objectives of the Workshops

·Encourage nature stakeholders to take over culture to raise awareness of biodiversity issues.

·Facilitate a direct dialogue between local actors, public policy makers and the cultural / artistic sector in order to discuss cultural, artistic policies, devices and practices integrating the protection and enhancement of the living.

·Highlight partnerships involving actors of different natures (institutions, civil society organizations, government structures), coming from various fields of activity (art, research, sciences) and working in various contexts (local, regional, national , international).

·Recognize and support the role of actors in the artistic and cultural sector working on biodiversity issues in order to support these initiatives through adequate support and funding mechanisms.

Workshop production

· A final document in the form of a letter of commitment from participants of Professional Workshops and stakeholder organizations within the framework of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 presenting the recommendations to decision makers.

·The drafting of proposals for the National Biodiversity Strategy including a recommendation for organization and joint action plans for those involved in culture and the protection of biodiversity.

· An online guide of references and resources after the Workshops showing the discussions of the two days of the meeting.

© Médiathèque Lafarge, Charles Plumey-Faye, Rudy Ricciotti