The IUCN Local Action Summit took place on 3 September 2021—the opening day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress—in Marseille, France. Leaders convened to showcase and galvanise conservation efforts in cities and regions, make the case for a nature-based recovery to COVID-19, and announce ambitious action pledges for nature. Here follows a transcript of the speech delivered by Christophe Madrolle, President of the Biodiversity Commission at Regional National Parks, France.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, we are very happy to see you here in Marseille. President Renaud Muselier cannot be with us because he has caught COVID but he sends you his very best regards. Hello to everyone.
Let me tell you what we are doing in this region. We basically decided, after the COP in Paris to take bold action. You may have seen something in the media about it: we had some problems in our port. Basically, what we were looking at is how we can protect biodiversity in the port areas. We wanted to work with associations and other relevant bodies trying to protect the environment. Over the ensuing years, I have worked on maritime issues, and we’ve had some encouraging results.
The IPCC report was a wake-up call. Unless we act now, we are going to have serious problems. We have a biodiversity plan and we want to plant a million trees. We have flooding. I would like to talk to IUCN and to all of those local authorities that are connected to citizens: I think it is important that your voices be heard. Councillors from local authorities must be involved in the formulation and setting of national policies.
Thank you.