Press Release: Martin Cullen TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, organises two important biodiversity meetings to be held under the Irish Presidency of the EU

The Irish Presidency of the EU hosted two important conferences on the issue of biodiversity loss towards the end of May 2004. On 21-24 May, a meeting of the European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy (EPBRS), was held in Killarney, County Kerry, under the conference title, 'Sustaining Livelihoods and Biodiversity: Attaining the 2010 Target in the European Biodiversity Strategy'. A further conference was held in Malahide on 25-27 May under the title 'Biodiversity and the EU - Sustaining Life, Sustaining Livelihoods'.

Centred on facilitating the completion of an audit and review of the Union's Biodiversity Strategy and four Action Plans, these Conferences also form part of Ireland's contribution to the global "International Biological Diversity Day" which is being promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 22 May 2004.

• Primary Source

Website: European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy http://www.epbrs.org/

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