The 18th International Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Socotra (FoS) is taking place in Palermo, Sicily, between 27-29 September 2019. The conference aims to promote awareness for the conservation of the unique cultural and natural heritage of Socotra Island, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Property. It will also serve as a platform for naturalists, botanists, marine biologists, geographers, sociologists, linguists, archaeologists, explorers, writers and travelers interested in Socotra to discuss and present their ongoing projects and scientific research about the island. A number of governmental representatives, international organizations, research centres, international universities, and local organizations are attending the conference as well.
During this conference, the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Gulf States and Yemen in collaboration with the FoS will launch the Connect 2 Socotra (#connect2socotra) campaign. This Campaign aims to raise international awareness on the great richness and the vulnerability of the islands’ unique biodiversity, its rich cultural heritage including knowledge and practices related to natural environment, and the importance of their preservation.
UNESCO and the Association Friends of Socotra are inviting museums, botanical gardens, academic institutes and other organizations around the world that host historically important collections and advise or stimulate ongoing projects in relation to Socotra, to organize various events such as natural history/photography exhibitions, public talks and lectures, workshops, film screenings etc.
The Connect 2 Socotra campaign will be launched at the Botanic Garden of Palermo, the first to host the campaign, and from there it will reach botanic gardens all over Europe and the world.
All related activities of the campaign will take place from the first week of October to the end of December 2019.
For more information about the campaign, please visit http://www.socotrainsicilia.it/unesco-connect2socotra/
For the conference programme, please visit http://www.socotrainsicilia.it/friends-of-socotra-conference…
