�պ�����

University of Vermont environmental scholar Walter Poleman will attend the , which starts today in Cali, Colombia.

Poleman, a senior lecturer in �պ�����’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, will attend as a member of the Vermont Biodiversity Alliance (VBA), one of a few U.S. groups granted observer status at COP16. Poleman will attend with colleagues John Kress, Scientist and Curator Emeritus with the Smithsonian Institution; Curt Lindberg, Chair of the Waitsfield Conservation Commission; and Mandy Van Dellen, VBA Program Manager.

COP16, which runs October 21 to November 1, 2024, will convene over 15,000 people from national delegations, public institutions, and private organizations to address the global biodiversity crisis and review progress toward targets set in COP 15’s Global Biodiversity Framework in Montreal, Canada in 2022. Participating nations have created their own National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, which are expected to align with the broader framework. The United States and the Vatican are the only two countries in the world that have not signed on to the Global Biodiversity Framework. The State of California has also been granted observer status and will send multiple representatives to COP16.

With observer status, Poleman and colleagues will sit in on meetings at the global event, participate in peer-learning sessions and panel discussions, and connect with partners around the world. The VBA has three primary focus areas for biodiversity in Vermont: Implementing the state conservation goal to conserve 30% of Vermont’s land by 2030 (Act 59), conservation models and monitoring technologies, and inclusive strategies for biodiversity conservation. 

“I’m eager to observe and participate as a conservationist, but I’m also excited to leverage the educational opportunities while I’m there and when I get back,” said Walter Poleman. “I’ll be calling in to my classes while I’m in Cali to talk about my experience and shine a light on the importance of international collaboration. I’ll also be documenting as much of my experience as possible to share with the broader �պ����� community. It’s important for us, and our students, to think of ourselves as a part of global problem-solving.”

Poleman specializes in natural history, place-based landscape analysis, and education for sustainability. He teaches courses in natural history and human ecology, landscape inventory and assessment, and conservation science.

The VBA is a new, collaborative initiative among Vermont conservation organizations including the Vermont Housing Conservation Board (VHCB), working together to conserve biodiversity. VHCB was instrumental in acquiring observer status for the VBA at COP16. 

“The scale and scope of the biodiversity crisis is enormous, and we need to be engaging on an international scale,” said Van Dellen. “There are existing relationships with neighbors such as Quebec which we hope to strengthen. We also have an obligation to share Vermont conservation stories with the rest of the world and to learn from others.”

Upon returning to Vermont, Poleman, Kress, Lindberg, and Van Dellen will summarize their learnings and consider how best to engage in biodiversity conservation with students in Poleman’s Natural History and Human Ecology course, and the local, regional and global community.