The GPNM - a global platform to steer dialogues and actions to promote effective nutrient management
The accelerated use of nitrogen and phosphorous is at the centre of a complex web of development benefits and environmental problems. They are key to crop production and half of the world’s food security is dependent on nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer use. But excess nutrients from fertilizers, fossil fuel burning, and wastewater from humans, livestock, aquaculture and industry lead to air, water, soil and marine pollution, with loss of biodiversity and fish, destruction of ozone and additional global warming potential
The problems will intensify as the demand for food and bio-fuels increase, and growing urban populations produce more wastewater. This will be at a growing economic cost to countries in the undermining of ecosystems, notably in the costal zone, and the services and jobs they provide.
The Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM) is a response to this ‘nutrient challenge’ – how to reduce the amount of excess nutrients in the global environment consistent with global development. The GPNM reflects a need for strategic, global advocacy to trigger governments and stakeholders in moving towards lower nitrogen and phosphorous inputs to human activities. It provides a platform for governments, UN agencies, scientists and the private sector to forge a common agenda, mainstreaming best practices and integrated assessments, so that policy making and investments are effectively ‘nutrient proofed’. The GPNM also provide a space where countries and other stakeholders can forge more co-operative work across the variety of international & regional fora and agencies dealing with nutrients, including the importance of assessment work.
New report: Our Nutrient World
The work underpinning the report is an outcome from the GPNM.The message of this overview is that everyone stands to benefit from nutrients and that everyone can make a contribution to promote sustainable production and use of nutrients. Whether we live in a part of the world with too much or too little nutrients, our daily decisions can make a difference. This "Global Overview of Nutrient Management" is a product that governments asked UNEP as the Secretariat of the GPA to undertake during the IGR-3. It was prepared by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh on behalf of the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management and the International Nitrogen Initiative.
Obtaining a hard copy of the report
Hard copies of Our Nutrient World, can be obtained from:
EarthPrint (Sales in US dollars)
WordPower Books (Sales in UK pounds).”
GPNM at CBD COP11
Hyderabad, 18 October 2012 on The challenge to produce more food & energy with less pollution:
Towards a Global Nitrogen Assessment - A Report. The side event was organized by the South
Asian Nitrogen Centre of the International Nitrogen Initiative, in association with the UNEP Global
Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM) and the Indian Nitrogen Group (ING) of the Society for Conservation of Nature, New Delhi.
GPNM at Rio +20
17 June 2012 'Nutrients: For Food or Pollution? The Choice is Ours!":
Report of the Nutrient side event at Rio +20
GPNM at the Global Conference on Land-Oceans Connections, 23-24 January 2012
Nutrient session - Global Conference on Land -Oceans Connections