Nature Canada

Nature Conservation goes urban at World Congress

Image of David Caughey

David Caughey
Conservation Intern

If you could get the best and the brightest minds in nature conservation together in a room to solve global nature challenges, what might that room look like?

For starters, it would have to be big. 

This room would hopefully include people from all walks of life: nature and environmental organizations, other civil society groups, academics, indigenous people, businesses, foundations and governments.

You would also want to give them some time. 

That many people coming together would not only want to come up with some solutions and agreements about objectives, but would also likely want to exchange advice and ideas about innovative ways they are contributing to nature conservation and the sustainable use of resources.

And why not hold it somewhere tropical and warm, for those don’t have enough incentive to go already?Imageof the World Conservation Congress 2016 Logo

Somewhere, say, like Honolulu.

As you might have guessed, an event like this already exists.

The World Conservation Congress is held every four years in a different location (this year in Honolulu) and is organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Congress has two components:

  • a forum, which serves as a massive hub for debate and discourse on a broad range of topics between the thousands of congress attendees; and
  • the member’s assembly, which is like a massive United Nations for environmental groups (the IUCN has more than 1300 members, including national and international organizations that may be governmental or non-governmental ).

Nature Canada is a proud member of the IUCN, and this fall will be contributing to the greater discussion on nature and conservation by co-sponsoring a motion to push for a bigger emphasis by the IUCN on urban conservation. Through our Naturehood program, Nature Canada is already walking the talk by finding ways to connect people to nature without leaving town.  By participating in the IUCN alliance of urban conservation groups, Nature Canada is helping to spread this growing aspect of nature conservation to other parts of the world.

Events like these are an important reminder that while nature conservation can seem like a local issue, it is global in scope.  By participating in these gatherings of the best and brightest minds, Nature Canada can be simultaneously helping out in Canadians’ backyards and those of others.

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