Visit of Mazin Qumsiyeh "Global ecocide and what to do with it: case study from Palestine"
On October 17, the UB hosts the presentation by Dr. Qumsiyeh, entitled "Global ecocide and what to do about it". Faced with a compromised audience, Qumsiyeh diagnosed the situation in Palestine not as a religious conflict, but as a process of settlement and displacement colonialism that has resulted in a devastating ecocide, exemplified by the loss of 94% of the tree cover in Gaza and the systematic contamination of water resources. It also presents the work of the Palestinian Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) as a beacon of resistance through research and education, underlining that the conservation of biological and human diversity is a global joint struggle.
The event concludes with a direct invitation to scientific collaboration and volunteering, reaffirming that real peace is only possible if it is based on human rights and international law.
Prior to the event, Dr. Qumsiyeh visited the Animal Biodiversity Resource Center (CRBA), where he has known first-hand the zoological collection of the center that has more than 400,000 copies, as well as the temporary exhibitions and the annual exhibition of the finalists of the last edition of the fotoNAT-UB nature photography contest. He has also been able to meet with representatives of the UB Solidarity Foundation, as well as its director, Xavier López, who has been able to share the various projects that promote in Palestinian territory since 2021. These include those aimed at improving the training of Palestinian women’s cooperatives in the field of agricultural production, water management and cooperative organization, taking into account the context of climate change. The projects are carried out with the Catalan Association for Peace (ACP), the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU) and the Palestinian Technical University Kadoorie de Tulkarem (PTUK) in the West Bank, and are supported by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).
Precisely with the Catalan Association for Peace (ACP) and the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), the UB Solidarity Foundation launched the Mediterranean Climate Change Observatory in November 2024. It is an international cooperation project with headquarters in Ramala, Tunisia and Barcelona, which seeks to monitor distinctive critical climate phenomena in the Mediterranean region to develop evidence-based policies and implement adaptive solutions that specifically address their effects on vulnerable populations. The Observatory has the support of the Barcelona City Council.
- 15:30. Welcome by Rosina Gironès, dean of the Faculty of Biology and coordinator of the SG Hub, and Miquel Àngel Arnedo Lombarte, director of the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio).
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15:45. Lecture by Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, founder and director of the Palestinian Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) and the Palestinian Museum of Natural History (PMNH) of the University of Bethlehem.
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16:15. Open microphone: questions and contributions from the public.
- 17:15. Farewell by Mònica Rius, Deputy Vice-Principal for Internationalisation Policy for relations with the Mediterranean, sub-Saharan Africa and neighbouring countries.
