Vanier College is pleased to announce that it has been invited to participate in the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) to be held from November 30 until December 12, 2023 in Dubai. Vanier will be on a panel entitled "Institutional pledges for nature: a community of institutions setting ambitious biodiversity targets, action, and reporting" hosted by the University of Oxford.
Vanier teacher Katherine Collin, founder of the Campus Biodiversity Network, will speak virtually on the panel to be held December 1st in the COP28 Greening Education Hub, alongside representatives from the University of Oxford, University of Helsinki and University of Bejaia. She will present the Campus Biodiversity Network's ongoing international contribution to the UN Environment and University of Oxford's Nature-Positive campaign to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. So far, the Campus Biodiversity Network project is helping over 50 college and university campuses around the world set up their biodiversity baseline assessments. More information on the project can be found at the CBN website (https://www.campusbiodiversitynetwork.org).
Launched in 2022, the Campus Biodiversity Network aims to promote campus greenspace observation and protection. The network encourages students, staff, and faculty at educational institutions in Montreal and beyond to champion their institutions' greenspaces and connect with others through citizen-science observation.
Everyone can participate in the Campus Biodiversity Network. One important way Vanier has built up the project is through its participation in international biodiversity challenges. "It's easy to make biodiversity observations on campus during the annual spring bioblitz and all year long," says Katherine Collin. A Vanier Communications video shows how it's done: https://youtu.be/80WhFFFL4jo
"Every observation counts and every member of the Vanier community can contribute!" she says.
