8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
18 - 31 March, 2006, Curitaba, Brazil


Introduction

Building on the success of previous "dialogue spaces", on March 18th, the Equator Initiative began hosting the Community Taba in Curitiba, Brazil. The Taba invited grassroots environmental leaders from around the world to establish a collaborative, flexible use space at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity (COP8). Once assembled, the participants were backstopped by an array of networked resources which will maximize the impact of their ideas on COP8 outcomes, foster new partnerships, and provide an opportunity to develop and refine their conservation frameworks. The Community Taba ran for the duration of the COP, ending on March 31st.

The Taba demonstrated, in the heart of COP8, that community members, working in partnership with local governments, local and national NGOs, and international organizations, are increasingly taking action to meet their basic needs while preserving the biological resources on which not only their own, but everyone's future survival depends.

Objectives

The Community Taba facilitated exchange amongst grassroots community leaders, leverage their talents towards achieving concrete results, and connect them with national and international policymakers and funders. The Community Taba played host to a home space created by and for community representatives which provided opportunities to:

• Organize and coordinate their participation in the official discussions of the COP.
• Share information, priorities, and concerns with others who are struggling to sustain their families and communities within high biodiversity areas.
• Assess how peer learning exchanges and other raining processes can increase the effectiveness of community conservation and sustainable biodiversity use.
• Manage a significant global media presence to ensure the messages of the community leaders are communicated openly and accurately.
• Own and occupy a comfortable space that will complement and support the daily events.

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