BIOPAMA Report from the IUCN Congress 2016: We Are All in This Canoe Together

27 October 2016

More than 10,000 top government officials, scientists and civil society leaders convened for the world’s largest environmental and nature conservation event, the IUCN World Conservation Congress, 1-10 September 2016, Hawai’i. The BIOPAMA programme was represented with 30 events and a team of 13 staff. Their results are outline in a new report of the BIOPAMA, European Union and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group visibility at the IUCN Congress 2016.

With our planet at the crossroads, protected and conserved areas are a key investment in the future of humanity. They are essential for conserving nature, especially in the oceans, and involving all who conserve. They inspire all people to experience the wonder of nature. They offer nature’s solutions to halt biodiversity loss and address global development challenges.At the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016, protected areas were at the core of many congress discussions and commitments. National governments are committed to enhancing their protected areas networks and are working with resource owners and other stakeholders and partners to develop suitable legal frameworks that strengthen capacity to govern and manage natural resources.

The Promise of Sydney, the legacy of the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014, resonated in many actions, initiatives and results presented at this IUCN Congress 2016. Capacity development for protected areas, offering solutions to global challenges and investing in the youth as future conservation leaders are some of the Promise of Sydney highlights that were strongly emphasized in the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme’s activities at the IUCN Congress 2016.

While the previous IUCN World Conservation Congress 2012 marked the international launch of BIOPAMA, the 2016 IUCN Congress was the platform to showcase the results of the programme for protected area capacity development and decision support tools.This report aims at showing how BIOPAMA, together with its donors, implementing partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries contributed to the results of the largest gathering for environmental policy-making since the Paris climate agreement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, with emphasis on the four days of IUCN Congress Forum.

Read the report

Related News