Antananarivo, Madagascar

Organised by Conservation International, this international conference will examine how conserving Africa's unmatched biodiversity can help alleviate poverty, fight disease and improve the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people across the continent.

Titled 'Defying Nature's End: The African Context' the symposium will be attended by government leaders, international organisations, conservation groups and local communities.

Major themes include the importance and status of African biodiversity; assessing and valuing the ecosystem services it provides; and using debt relief to properly manage natural capital and reduce poverty.


The symposium will present the latest research on links between the environment, poverty and health, and new strategies on resource management and governance to realise the greatest benefits from nature. A major theme will be how biodiversity conservation can help Africa reach the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2000 to achieve significant progress in alleviating poverty worldwide by 2015.

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There is no registration fee, but hotel space and media facilities are limited.

Journalists must register with Conservation International to attend the conference.