By Ochieng' Ogodo
Journalist-Kenya
The IUCN World Conservation Congress that
closed in Hawaiʻi, Honolulu, on 10 September 2016 set the global conservation agenda for the
next four years and defined a roadmap for the implementation of the historic
agreements adopted in 2015.
The IUCN Congress closed with the
presentation of the Hawai'i Commitments, a document titled “Navigating Island
Earth” that was shaped by debates and deliberations over ten days, and was opened
for comment to some 10,000 participants from 192 countries.
The document outlines opportunities
to address some of the greatest challenges facing nature conservation and calls
for a commitment to implement them. It captures the collective commitment by
all the Congress attendees to undertake profound transformations in how human
societies live on Earth, especially making patterns of production and
consumption more sustainable.
“Some of the world’s greatest minds
and most dedicated professionals met here at the IUCN Congress to decide on the
most urgent action needed to ensure the long-term survival of life on Earth and
our planet’s ability to sustain us,” says Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General.
“This IUCN Congress has come at a
pivotal time in our planet’s history as we find ourselves at a crossroad,
facing challenges of unprecedented magnitude.
“Today we leave Hawaiʻi equipped
with a much clearer roadmap for advancing on the post-2015 agenda, confident
that we have taken our first steps on the road to a sustainable future where
nature and human progress support each other.”
The event brought together more than 10,000 registered
participants including leaders from government, civil society, indigenous,
faith and spiritual communities, the private sector, and academia, to
collectively decide on actions to address most pressing conservation and
sustainable development challenges.
Over 100 resolutions and recommendations have been adopted by IUCN
Members – a unique global environmental parliament of governments and NGOs –
many of which call on third parties to take action on a wide range of urgent
conservation issues.
Key decisions included closure of domestic markets for elephant
ivory, the urgency of protecting the high seas, the need to protect
primary forests, no-go areas for industrial activities within protected
areas and an official IUCN policy on biodiversity offsets.
“International decision-makers have converged on the most urgently
needed conservation action,” says IUCN President Zhang Xinsheng. “IUCN’s
more than 1,300 Members behind these decisions give them the weight to drive
the real change needed to address some of the biggest challenges our planet
faces today.”
IUCN Members have also approved a new programme for IUCN for the
next four years and elected new IUCN leadership.
The IUCN Congress
put new issues on the global sustainability agenda, including the importance of
linking spirituality, religion, culture and conservation, and the need to
implement nature-based solutions – actions that protect and manage ecosystems,
while effectively addressing societal challenges, such as food and water
security, climate change, disaster risk reduction, human health and economic
well-being.
U.S. President
Obama’s announcement to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument –
now the largest protected area in the world – set the scene for the IUCN
Congress.
Other
announcements included the commitment from Governor Ige of Hawaiʻi
to protect 30% of Hawaii’s highest priority watershed
forests by 2030, effectively manage 30% of Hawai‘i’s nearshore waters by 2030,
double local food production and achieve 100 % renewable energy in the electricity
sector by 2045.
Colombia has
announced the quadrupling in size of the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
bringing it to 27,000 km2.
The IUCN Congress
also saw new commitments to the Bonn Challenge initiative to restore 150
million hectares of degraded land by 2050. With the latest pledges from Malawi
and Guatemala, total Bonn Challenge pledges have now exceeded 113 million
hectares, committed by 36 governments, organisations and companies.
Key resolutions
and recommendations adopted by the IUCN Congress
Illegal wildlife trade
Following intense deliberations, IUCN Members have urged all
governments to close domestic markets of elephant ivory, seen as creating
opportunities for laundering illegal ivory. Elephants are killed for their
tusks across Africa, threatening both the survival of savannah and forest
elephants and park rangers.
Combatting illegal wildlife trade was also at the heart of an IUCN
decision on the alarming increase in the poaching of vicuña for its fibre. IUCN
Members have called for measures to be put in
place to promote the sustainable use of the species, and eliminate the illegal
trade, including greater traceability of vicuña fibre and cross-border
collaboration.
Hunting for captive-bred lions
IUCN members have called for legislation to ban – by 2020, and particularly
in South Africa – the breeding of lions in captivity for the purpose of 'canned
shooting', regarded by hunters as ‘an ethically repugnant embarrassment’.
The high seas
Members have also identified the need for internationally binding
legislation to preserve the high seas, and have set an ambitious target of 30%
of marine areas to be protected by 2030. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s ocean
lies beyond the jurisdiction of countries.
Indigenous peoples
IUCN Members have
also agreed to create a new category of IUCN membership for Indigenous peoples’
organisations, boosting support for Indigenous peoples’ rights on the
international scene. A large number of resolutions adopted by IUCN Members have
also contributed to strengthening Indigenous peoples’ rights.
Protection of primary forests
IUCN Members have
expressed support for the conservation of primary forests, including intact
forest landscapes. These are seen to play a critical role in maintaining
biodiversity, and are vital for the protection of indigenous cultures, and
livelihoods of poor, marginalised communities.
No-go areas
Another decision
by IUCN Members has put all land and seascapes classified under any of IUCN’s
categories of protected areas off limits for damaging industrial activities –
such as mining, oil and gas, agriculture – and infrastructure developments –
such as dams, roads and pipelines. To date, only World Heritage sites have been
formally recognised as no-go areas.
Oil palm industry
In another
decision, IUCN Members stressed the crucial need to identify intact forests and
critical ecosystems to be avoided by the fast-growing oil palm industry. The
rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities should be respected and
taken into consideration, according to the decision. Activities of the oil palm
industry can have negative impacts on the environment, such as the loss of
habitat for great apes and other primates, as well as on community livelihoods.
Biodiversity offsets
IUCN Members have
also agreed on a policy on biodiversity offsets, emphasising that priority must
be given to avoid biodiversity loss. Offsets must be a measure of last resort,
and in certain cases, they are not appropriate – according to the
Members.
Natural capital
IUCN Members have
also agreed to develop a policy defining natural capital, taking into account
ecological, ethical and social justice issues. Members have noted emerging
standards which aim to integrate the value of nature in the decision-making of
business and financial institutions, and the need for an improved understanding
of natural capital.
