Highlights Preliminary Report September 2012

10 Days of ‘Nature’s Olympics’ in Jeju

The2012IUCNWorldConservationCongresswasheldfrom6‐15SeptemberonJejuIsland,RepublicofKorea,generouslyhostedbytheMinistryofEnvironmentoftheRepublicofKoreaandtheJejuSpecialSelf‐GoverningProvince.Some10,000peoplefromover160countriesparticipatedinvariouspartsoftheJejuCongress.TheCongresssloganwasNature+,capturingthefundamentalim‐portanceofnatureanditsinherentlinktoeveryaspectofourlives.Thekeyissuesontheagendawere: Nature+climate Nature+food Nature+development Nature+people&governance Nature+lifeTheCongressincludedaForumopentothepublic,andaMembers’Assembly,IUCN’suniqueglobalenvironmentalparliament.Nearly600eventswereheldduringthefive‐dayForum,includingfiveWorldLeaders’Dialogues.TheMembers’AssemblyapprovedtheIUCNProgrammefor2013‐2016,debatedover180draftresolu‐tionsthatsetthefutureconservationagenda,andelectedtheIUCNPresidentandthegoverningCouncilforthenextfouryears.

“The Congress, which has

become known in Korea as

“Nature’s Olympics”, has

brought home gold for conser-

vation. It has demonstrated

how nature-based solutions, as

expressed in the Congress slo-

gan “Nature+”, help us address

many of our most pressing

challenges.”

Julia Marton-Lefèvre,

IUCN Director General

PresidentoftheRepublicofKorea,HELeeMyung‐Bak,addressingthe2012IUCNWorldConservationCongress

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Leaders from local to global come together in Jeju

Thoughtleadersfromallwalksoflife—politics,business,civilsociety,academia,localandindigenouscommunities,faithgroupsandthemedia—cametogetherattheJejuCongress,including: HELeeMyung‐bak,PresidentoftheRepublicofKorea MrBharratJagdeo,formerPresidentofGuyana,IUCNPatronofNature MrLyonpoKinzangDorji,formerPrimeMinisterofBhutan HRHPrinceCarlPhilipofSweden,IUCNPatronofNature HRHPrincessBasmaBintAliBinNayefofJordan MsRachelKyte,VicePresident,SustainableDevelopment,TheWorldBank MrAchimSteiner,ExecutiveDirector,UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme MsNaokoIshii,CEO&Chairperson,GlobalEnvironmentFacility MsHeidiHautala,MinisterofInternationalDevelopment,Finland MsYooYoungSook,MinisterofEnvironment,RepublicofKorea MrHenriDjombo,MinisterofSustainableDevelopment,RepublicofCongo MrEmmanuelIssoze‐Ngondet,MinisterofInternationalCooperation,Gabon MrErikSolheim,formerMinisterofEnvironmentandInternationalDevelopment,Norway,

IUCNPatronofNature MrPeterBakker,President,WorldBusinessCouncilonSustainableDevelopment MrMarvinOdum,PresidentofShellOilCompany MrMichaelMack,CEO,Syngenta MrSuk‐ChaeLee,Chairman,KoreaTelecom DrSylviaEarle,OceanographerandIUCNPatronofNature DrCristiánSamper,CEO,WildlifeConservationSociety DrThomasLovejoy,BiodiversityChairattheJohnHeinzIIICenter MrBraulioFerreiraDeSouzaDias,Secretary‐General,ConventiononBiologicalDiversity MrAnadaTiega,Secretary‐General,RamsarConventiononWetlands MrLucGnacadja,ExecutiveSecretary,UNConventiontoCombatDesertification

“The visibility and constructive engagement between business, IUCN, governments and the NGO

community was a remarkable positive takeaway from this Congress .”

Peter Bakker, President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Nature+:Savingnature,whybother?WorldLeadersDialoguepanel(L‐R):ModeratorRafaelMéndez,ElPais;Panelists:MsYooYoungSook,MinisterofEnvironment,RepublicofKorea,MrBraulioFerreiraDeSouzaDias,Secretary‐General,ConventiononBiologicalDiversity,MsRazanAlMubarak,SecretaryGeneral,AbuDhabiEn‐vironmentAgency,MrAndréHoffmann,President,MAVAFoundation

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Congress Forum: Debating the future of conservation Atotalof581eventswereheldduringthefive‐dayForum.ThefiveWorldLeaders’Dialoguesonthethemesofna‐ture+climate,nature+food,nature+development,nature+people&governance,andnature+lifewereahighlightoftheForum,generatingsignificantparticipationfromaudi‐encesinJejuandonline.TheForumunderlinedthecrisisfacingthenaturalworldthroughnewreportsonthreatenedspeciesandecosys‐tems.NewknowledgeproductspresentedincludedtheIUCNRedListofEcosystems,theIUCNGreenListofPro‐tectedAreas,andtheProtectedPlanetReport. KeymessagesfromtheForumdiscussionsincluded: howecosystemscanbeusedasbufferstoreducethe

impactofclimate‐relateddisasters; thatthetruecostoffoodneedstobereflectedinits

price; howbiodiversityandbusinessarelearningeach

other’slanguage,suchasanincreasinglypopularcon‐ceptofnaturalcapital;

howlocalandindigenouscommunitiesaresuccess‐fullymanagingbiodiversityandecosystems;and

thatpoliticalwillisfundamentaltovaluingnaturalandsocialcapital.

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ParticipantsatasessionheldintheJustWorldPavilionatthe2012IUCNWorldConservationCongress

Forum events Number Posters 132

Knowledge cafés 105

Workshops 146

Conservation campus 44 Pavilion events 149

World Leaders Dialogues 5

TOTAL 581

“To address the challenges ahead,

each and every one of us will have to

cross boundaries and we in the con-

servation community will need to

move collectively outside our comfort

zones.” Rachel Kyte, Vice-President,

Sustainable Development, The World Bank

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IUCN Members’ Assembly: Environmental democracy in action TheMembers’Assembly,IUCN’suniqueglobalen‐vironmentalparliamentbringingtogethergovern‐mentsandnon‐governmentalorganiza‐tions,approvedthenewIUCNProgrammefor2013‐2016.ThePro‐grammebuildsuponIUCN’snicheastheworld’sauthorityonbio‐diversityconservation,nature‐basedsolutionsandrelatedenviron‐mentalgovernance.TheAssemblyalsoapprovedover180resolutionsonawiderangeofissues,includingactiontore‐coverAtlanticbluefintunastocksandavertextinctionsofraredolphinspecies;scalingbackoffshoredrilling;promotingthehumanrighttowater;andprovidingbetterpaymentchannelsforecosystemservicesinpoorcountries.Actiononstoppingtheescalatingpoachingofelephantsandrhinoswasapproved,andthepushforagloballybindingtreatyonprotectingwildlifefrommercurycontamina‐tionwasendorsed,aswasgreaterenforcementoflawsonwildlifecrime.Moreinformation:http://iucn.org/motions

“I found this Jeju Congress to be the best IUCN has ever held. The volume of workshops and pro-

grams was extraordinary and the business of the Union was dispatched with care and effectiveness.”

Professor Nicholas Robinson, Former Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law

IUCN’sgovernmentandNGOmembersjointlydebateandvoteonkeyconservationissues

Elections of IUCN President and Council

TheCongresselectedtheIUCNPresidentand32otherMembersoftheIUCNCouncilforthenextfouryears:PresidentMrZhangXinsheng,China

TreasurerMrPatrickdeHeney,Switzerland/UnitedKing‐dom

CouncillorfromtheStateinwhichIUCNhasitsseat:MrWillyGeiger

REGIONALCOUNCILLORS

AfricaMrMamadouDiallo,SenegalDrBrahimHaddane,MoroccoHonEriyoJescaOsuna,Uganda

MesoandSouthAmericaMsJennyGruenberger,BoliviaMrMiguelPellerano,ArgentinaMrRamónPérezGilSalcido,Mexico

NorthAmericaandtheCaribbeanMrGeorgeGreene,CanadaDrJohnRobinson,USAMrSpencerL.Thomas,Grenada

SouthandEastAsiaDrArzuRanaDeuba,NepalMsMeenaGupta,IndiaMrShinichiKitajima,Japan

WestAsiaMrMalikAminAslamKhan,PakistanDrSamiraOmarAsem,KuwaitMrMohammadShahbaz,Jordan

OceaniaMrAndrewBignell,NewZealandProfBrendanMackey,AustraliaMsAnnaElizabethTiraa,CookIslands

EastEurope,NorthandCentralAsiaDrAmirkhanAmirkhanov,RussiaMrMichaelHošek,CzechRepublicMsTamarPataridze,Georgia

WestEuropeMrJonathanHughes,UnitedKingdomProfNiluferOral,TurkeyMsMarinavonWeissenberg,Finland

COMMISSIONCHAIRS

CommissiononEcosystemManagementMrPietWit,TheNetherlands

CommissiononEducationandCommunica‐tionDrJulianeZeidler,Germany

CommissiononEnvironmental,EconomicandSocialPolicyMsArohaTePareakeMead,NewZealand

SpeciesSurvivalCommissionDrSimonStuart,UK

WorldCommissiononEnvironmentalLawDrAntonioHermanBenjamin,Brazil

WorldCommissiononProtectedAreasDrErnestoEnkerlinHoeflich,MexicoMoreinformationaboutIUCNCouncilisfoundon:http://www.iucn.org/about/union/council/IUCNDirector‐GeneralMsJuliaMarton‐Lefèvrecon‐

gratulatesIUCNPresident‐electMrZhangXinsheng

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Recognizing Conservation Greats

The2012Congressrecognizedtwooutstandingindividualsoftheconservationworldwithitshighestawards,andconferredhonorarymembershipofIUCNto11otherconservationgreats: RecipientoftheJohnC.PhillipsMemorialMedal:SirDavidAttenborough(UK) RecipientoftheHaroldJeffersonCoolidgeMemorialMedal:Dr.WolfgangE.Burhenne(Germany)2012HonouraryMembers: DrAbdulazizAbuzinada,SaudiArabia MsAngelaCropper,TrinidadandTobago DrAilaKeto,Australia HisExcellency,TheStatePresident,LieutenantGeneral

SeretseKhamaIanKhama,Botswana MrVeitKoester,Denmark DrRussellMittermeier,USA DrIanPlayer,SouthAfrica ProfessorNicholasRobinson,USA DrMarinaSilva,Brazil MrAchimSteiner,Germany ProfessorRandolphRobertThaman,Fiji

“IUCN is an organization of enor-

mous importance for all of us who

care about the natural world; there

is no other international organiza-

tion quite like it.”

Sir David Attenborough

Recipient of the John C. Phillips

Memorial Medal

IUCNPatronofNatureDrSylviaEarlepresentstheHaroldJeffersonCoolidgeMemorialMedaltoDrWolfgangE.BurhenneduringtheAwardsCeremonyattheJejuCongress,asIUCNPresidentDrAshokKhoslalookson.

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Getting the message out

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Nature+K‐PopconcertheldduringtheCongressincludedperformancesbyKoreanandinternationalmusicians

TheCongressofferedauniqueplatformtosendaclearmessagetotherestoftheworldthatnaturecananddoesprovidesolutionstosomeoftheworld’sbiggestenvironmentanddevelopmentchal‐lenges.MillionsofpeopleworldwidefollowednewsfromtheCongressviaprint,broadcastandsocialmedia,aswellastheIUCNwebsite.CommunicationshighlightsfromtheCongressinclude: 320journalistsonsiteinJeju; 61pressconferences; Over8,000Congressmentionsininternationalandlocalmedia; Nearly17millionpeoplereachedviaTwitter; 60percentincreaseinwebsitevisits;and 10issuesofCongresse‐newsletterproduced.A10‐dayFestivalwasorganizedbythehostcountryduringtheCongresstoinspirelocalpeopleaboutconservation,includingaNature+K‐PopconcertattendedbythousandsofCongresspartici‐pants.TheconcertfeaturedKoreanandinternationalacts,includingIUCNGoodwillAmbassadorsMalouma(Mauritania)andIRUKA(Japan). “What you’ve done in terms of media and getting your messages out is amazing.”

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme and former IUCN Director General

What next? The way forward from Jeju

The2012IUCNWorldConservationCongressmarkedanimportantmilestoneforstrengtheningcol‐laborationandmovingfromcommitmentstoaction.TheJejuDeclaration,signedonthefinaldayoftheCongress,recognizesthatnatureoffersimportantsolutionstosomeoftheworld’smostpressingchallengesinclimatechange,sustainableenergy,foodsecurityandeconomicandsocialdevelopment.AmongtheinitiativesandpartnershipsannouncedattheCongresswere: theestablishmentofaJejuWorldLeaders’ConservationForumbytheRepublicofKorea. an€20minvestmentinbiodiversityandprotectedareasbyIUCNandtheEuropeanUnion; commitmentsbyMicrosoftandGoogletosupportinnovativeconservationtechnologies; launchofthe2014IUCNWorldParksCongressbyIUCN,theGovernmentofAustraliaandthe

StateofNewSouthWales;and celebrationof50yearsofcollaborationbetweenIUCNandtheCouncilofEurope;OtheremergingpartnershipsandinitiativesdiscussedattheCongressinclude: furtheroperationalizingtheconceptofNetPositiveImpactonbiodiversity,withtheWorld

Bank; exploringtheroleforPaymentsforEcosystemServicesininternationalenvironmentalgovern‐

ance,withtheWorldBankandtheGlobalEnvironmentFacility; developinganinternationalgovernanceandtransparencyinitiativeonrenewableresources,

withFinland;and addressingthe“implementationgap”inclimatechangemitigationandadaptationcommit‐

ments,withNorway.

IUCNPresident‐electZhangXinshengaddressingthe2012JejuCongressclosingceremony

“The IUCN vision of a just world that values and conserves nature is one the world deeply

needs to see fulfilled.” Zhang Xinsheng, IUCN President

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Congress Partners

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor

Friends ·Coca‐ColaKoreaCompanyLtd·FederalMinistryfortheEnvironment,NatureConservationandNuclearSafety‐Germany·GS25·KoreanGasCorporation·KoreanInstituteofMachineryandMetals