Written by Sarah Huang

As we begin to wrap up our time here in Hawaii and as the World Conservation Congress concludes, motions and the programme will be decided on today. This programme sets the agenda for the next four years for the IUCN and member organizations. Today, Laura asked me what I wanted to see happen after the WCC. I responded with something about wanting to see more meaningful engagement of the youth, as stated in the IUCN's goals. But, after thinking about it a little longer, I began to dream a little harder about where the conservation world could go. 

This year's WCC theme, "Planet at the Crossroads", has been used to describe the the current crisis that we have on our hands, as the planet is warming, species are becoming extinct, and the natural world is collapsing. The speed and intensity at which this is occurring has put humans at a crossroads; in our decisions to do or not do something - and if we do, then what exactly should we do? I consider myself one very, very small part of this crossroads, but I, along with the other 10,000 or so folks here, have big dreams for this planet. 

So back to Laura's question, what do I want to see happen after the WCC? I want to see the planet at the crossroads to meaningfully include all people within this crossroads, especially those who have been silenced, left off the agenda, and not invited to the conservation table. My own interests in gender based violence in environmental development have revealed the ways in which women are criminalized for protecting their environments and live in communities where their bodies are no longer safe as industrial development moves into their homes. And yet their crossroads, and the agenda that is meant to address their challenges, is not represented here at WCC. 

I turn to a gender and environment event that I attended a few days ago. The Women's Environment and Climate Action Network (WECAN) implored us to consider our relationship to women, violence, and the environment. Indigenous women put their bodies on the line and the increase in violence and murders of indigenous women for the benefit of all of us is increasing. We wouldn't be able to live without the waters and forests that surround us, and yet we often don't consider who is on the front lines, ensuring that these resources are there for us and our future generations.  We see this currently happening in the NoDAPL, North Dakota Access Pipeline, where indigenous women were putting their bodies in harm's way to protect their sacred burial sites. And yet long history of the violence against indigenous women goes unrecognized, and women are continuously silenced, criminalized, and forgotten. 

Looking at the current 2017-2020 programme for the IUCN and then also thinking about this event that I attended on violence, as well as the countless stories of violence that I heard at COP21 in Paris, on various activist news outlets from North Dakota, Honduras, and other places; I can't help but wonder why violence is exacerbated on certain actors more than others. The politics and systems that allow for violence on our environment and the raping of land by mining companies and dam construction are the same ones that allow for indigenous women to be raped, abused, and murdered.

At the opening ceremony here at WCC just a mere 10 days ago, a representative from United Nations Environment Programme said that we need to stop playing the blame game; blaming countries and blaming industry. Well, in the next four years after this WCC,  I want to see more of the blame game. I want to see more member nations and organizations calling out the actors who allow for a perpetuation of colonialism on our environments and on indigenous women. It is only by pointing the finger and calling attention to the actors, actions, and frameworks that colonize our environments and women that we may begin to address these violent acts. We need a disruption of the current ways that we define and address our crossroads; one that brings indigenous women, their violent experiences and realities to the forefront, much in the way that they have put themselves at the forefront of protecting the natural resources that we depend on.

As we leave Hawaii and the World Conservation Congress, I only hope that the next four years will not replicate the past four years of indigenous women disappearing in mining towns and indigenous women activists being murdered and terrorized by their governments. Instead, I hope that we being to push the bounds on our governments and projects and programs that allow for these types of violence to occur in order for a more safe environment. 

As the IUCN's World Conservation Congress comes to a conclusion, I have been able to watch the development of Marine-centered issues across my various sites. As most of my sites have booths at the WCC, it has been great to also see them share information about the work they have been actively doing in real time at the event. Many of my sites have shown increased activity during the WCC, especially the larger organizations Mission Blue and the Marine Conservation Institute. And although smaller organizations have sometimes had limited updates, the few updates have provided very useful comments on different issues, such as marine litter and indigenous rights and activism. 
 
Across multiple sites there has been a lot of attention paid to both Motion 26 and #30by30. From what I understand of Motion 26, it has incredibly important implications for both indigenous rights regarding natural resources and bodies of water. I find the relevance to the current situation in South Dakota very interesting and I am eager to see how it plays out towards the end of the WCC. The campaign for 30% of oceans protected by 2030 has also been very prominent in the posts from most of my sites. I've noticed that support for the petition is commonly accompanied by #RightsofNature and #HarmonyWithNature, implying the link between oceans and global environmental wellness and responsibility. The addition of "harmony" has been a newer hash tag and I think the emphasis on the idea of nature having explicit rights along with the possibility of living well with nature is a discourse that I want to follow as the congress begins to conclude. 
 
Finally, the majority of updates that have drawn my attention are those that speak to the relationship between marine issues and people explicitly. An article posted by Marine Conservation International talked about the links between poverty and marine conservation, particularly the importance of conserving marine resources to avoid or alleviate poverty in various places of the world. I have also seen more connections being made by sites between indigenous rights and conservation, particularly articles promoting the inclusion of indigenous rights and ideas into environmental policy decisions. 
 
Overall, I have seen issues related to marine conservation develop in very different, but connected ways across my different sites. While much attention is still paid to Obama's designation of the large Marine Protected Area, those updates are now including critical discussion around the topic. Most of the sites have increased their attention to critical discussion and avid activism as the WCC has progressed. I expect to see this become even more apparent in the next two days. 

By Kate Yeater

Waking up to our first sunrise in Honolulu, I looked out the hotel window and saw dark foggy clouds in the distance, sandwiched between high-rises. As the morning fog dissipated and I put on my glasses, I realized those weren’t clouds at all but mountains! Since that moment I longed to get out of the tourist-filled city around us and explore the natural wonders of O’ahu. Our busy research schedules at the World Conservation Congress paused for a moment on Thursday, September 8th, as the Congress took a free day. This allowed our team a rejuvenating day away from the Convention Center and exploration of the island. While Savannah, Liz, and Kate H. went to Hanauma Bay to snorkel with sea turtles, fish, and coral, Sarah and I walked to Diamond Head on the southern coast of the island. Diamond Head, known locally as Lēʻahi, is a 300,000-year-old volcanic crater. Sarah and I hiked through tunnels, across the crater, and up stairs to reach the summit, which overlooks the coast and Pacific Ocean beyond.

Our afternoon was spent shopping for gifts for friends and family, laying on the beach, paddle-boarding, and catching up on homework. We ended our day off with a team dinner to share our stories from the day. With just two days left of the Member’s Assembly, the 2016 WCC is quickly coming to an end and our flight back to the mainland will come much too quickly. It was wonderful to spend a day in the fresh air, salty sea, and sunshine here in Honolulu before we begin the last push of this whirlwind research trip. ​

Elizabeth Wulbrecht

Today was the first day of the member’s assembly and it was long. I was at the Congress until past ten listening to an argument about whether to include ancient, primary, and intact forests in the same motion. It was soon apparent that the group wanted to create two motions. We tracked down a legal representative of the IUCN or at least an expert on the motions process and she informed us that yes we could split the motions if we absolutely had to. But, it was not ideal since groups are already supposed to have these things figured out before the WCC convenes. The consensus in the room was still the need for two separate motions and so we proceeded to go over nitty-gritty details of the text and what language to include or delete. It was interesting to see “policy” in the process of being made, albeit a very unique type of policy.

WCC passes what are called motions, which aren’t actually policies at all. Motions become resolutions which are voted on by IUCN members and these resolutions set the precedent for the international conservation agenda. Governing bodies, NGOs, and other organizations look to these resolutions to craft their agenda on conservation and other issues related to sustainability. The IUCN explains “members may, through the motions process, promote and discourage action by governments and other actors and put forward conservation issues that are then discussed in a public forum where governments, NGOS, and environmental agencies are sitting side-by-side” (2012).

Motions are taken up in contact groups. Experts and others can sit in and offer their opinions, but only members of the contact group can propose changes to the text of the motion. These changes can seem really mundane – put a comma here or a semi-colon there or, they can be really interesting. In my contact group someone proposed someone proposed a concern about the text that discussed indigenous peoples and a short discussion followed on the appropriateness of the text language. I was surprised to see this consciousness surrounding language but also impressed to see “influence” in action.

For the next five days, the WCC team will be following contact groups and the motions to resolutions process. I figure I’ll being seeing some of the same people for the next few days and hopefully the strange atmosphere I experienced today won’t carry over into tomorrow. I wouldn’t categorize the atmosphere of the room as negative or positive, but a weird space that I didn’t feel unwelcome or welcome in. Part of this could have been the lateness of the hour and the exhaustion of everyone involved. I still feel like I missed the dynamics of the room as someone completely emerged in the process would understand. As an outsider observing a process I am foreign to, I found myself confused and lost at moments. But, I’ll be at the contact group again tomorrow and piece by piece, I’ll begin to understand.
 
IUCN (2012). “How the World Conservation Congress Motions Process Works.”
            http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/information_on_motions_process.pdf

Written By Kate Haapala

​If you have been reading this blog, or following other media outlets focusing on the World Conservation Congress (WCC), you now know that the event is being hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bearing this in mind, it is no surprise that the ocean has become a key theme across the event. On the first day when the team walked into the Conference Center, the “Rainbow Archipelago” of Hawaii was on display on the atrium through vibrant images of various species that can be found here in Hawaii. Absent in the images, however, were images of communities and individuals that are also apart of the diverse land and seascapes of this archipelago. Since the first day here at the Congress, the ocean has been a focus in many events, but I am going to focus on just one.
 
The room buzzed with conversation and excitement as 15 different groups engaged in conversations. I walked in late, and seeing no other seats available at the white cloth linen tables, I joined a group sitting on the floor in the corner talking about the culture and heritage of the ocean. The group here was diverse, but it became clear that many people had a deep connection to the ocean. For instance, an older man sitting on the floor said “there is a spiritual aspect to the ocean. You can feel ancestors in the ocean if you are willing to open yourself up.” Not only is the ocean heritage, but it is also survival. Another man at the knowledge café, said “The ocean is survival for our people. There can be no separation.” These sentiments bring to light the deep interconnectivity between people, their local environment, their sense of place, and therefore their identity.
 
These sentiments are subject to being overly romanticized and so it seems relevant to make it clear that these communities and cultures are deeply impacted by climate change and a history of colonization. There will be no easy solutions to climate change or deconstructing power imbalances that show themselves in the lives of Native communities here in Hawaii and throughout other Pacific island cultures.
 
By now you may be wondering why I opened with the story of the Rainbow Archipelago. The art in the Rainbow Archipelago exhibit has remained on display throughout the week. However, it is still void of pictures of people and communities that also make the land and seascapes here diverse, vibrant, and are deeply intertwined with the ocean and the diverse range of species here. Hearing peoples’ stories about climate change, their heritage, and the ways in which their relationship with their ancestors and future descendants are changing is both heavy and impactful. The reality is that we are losing more than just biodiversity as climate change continues. This is not a new argument, but it bears repeating because the ways in which we frame the images, problems, and impacts of climate change matters for what solutions we will design to solve intractable problems. 

                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                          Written By Savannah Schulze 
             Through out many of my sessions during the WCC I have noticed a call and attention to the pursuit of human rights along side conservation efforts. While listening to a panel devoted to incorporating human rights into the management and establishment of World Heritage Sites one panelist commented “this should be a no brainer” but past histories indicate that this is not always the case when ascribing this designation. They suggest that we need to move towards a systemic rights based approach that considers these issues from the start of such designations rather than just ”firefighting” when problems erupt. We must remember that people engage in the processes of establishing World Heritage Sites because they have their own invested interests (e.g. ecotourism or economic) however we must ensure that Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is right in there at the start securing consent from indigenous peoples and local communities. The push for profit often ends up trumping the rights or needs of indigenous peoples. When you fail to obtain consent from indigenous peoples we can do harm, not only to Indigenous Peoples, but also cause ecological harm to the site. It is affirming to see the implementation of rights-based approach to conservation within the World Heritage Convention, as well as the establishment of the IUCN WCC Resolution 047 (2012) on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 
            While the session above focused on incorporating human-rights at the institutional level or “scaling-up", another presentation given by Joseph Itongwa from the Democratic Republic of Congo reminded me of how we need to consider human rights on the ground. Joseph spoke of his work with IPACC (Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee) who was invited by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to work with the indigenous peoples of CAR (Central African Republic). Their focus was to facilitate indigenous-to-indigenous capacity building and human rights training to assist the BaAka communities living in Tri-National de la Sangha Park and World Heritage Site. The BaAka face strong cultural discrimination and serious human rights violations by the state. Through various partnerships they work to provide human rights training and establish long-term monitoring capacity of indigenous and human rights in the region. Many BaAka communities live in isolated regions and are therefore unaware of international norms and rights. The designation of the park seems to have limited the BaAka’s traditional life ways and Joseph recommends that IUCN/UNESCO (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) take into account the cultural world heritage of the site. And also the value of solidarity between actors as key for long term protection of such sites. A key lesson learned here is that designation alone can not ensure conservation success. 

Written By Sarah Huang

Gender mainstreaming is a UN strategy to addressing gender equality. This term is used in different environmental development contexts, including at the WCC and COP21. It is a strategy that includes the goal of gender equality and gendered perspectives into all aspects of policies or programs, thus mainstreaming policies to be gendered. 

I remember following an event at COP21 on gender that was sponsored by the UNDP where the presenter said, "This slide talks about gender, but I'll just skip over it because you all know about that". This is an example of a critique of gender mainstreaming; that even though we are including gendered perspectives into all aspects of policies, is this creating a radical enough change for women to have meaningful participation? This example shows how including a gendered perspective acts as a checklist item where we identify that gender is included and then we move on. 

I have similarly seen this "checklisting" of gender here at the WCC. During an event a few days ago titled "Engaging the other half", the discussion surrounded on how including women in conservation management leads to better results and more effective management. While they were highlighting that women play an important role within conservation management and pointing to studies that supported these claims, there was a general ignorance of the intersectional identities of women. Even the title itself refers to only two genders that overlooks LGBTQ identities. But also, there was a lack of recognition of how minority women's experiences are often excluded from high level management positions. Finally, the conversation ended on the point that we need to stop talking about cultural differences. One woman made the point that all cultures are the same and we need to understand these similarities in cultures if we are going to achieve gender equality in conservation programming. 

I think what we are seeing in this event is how gender mainstreaming can lead to homogenizing "women" as a collective group, detached from other identities. This process does not recognize that women of color, indigenous women, women from diverse classes, women from particular regions of the world hold diverse life ways and experience conservation management in different ways. And that by gender mainstreaming, we are firstly, including women and secondly, putting women into a boxed category that does not take into account the complexities of intersectionality. Does this help lead to gender equality? I personally don't think it does, because there are many examples of where gender mainstreaming can only exacerbate existing inequalities that women face. We need a radical shift in how we aim to address gender equality that does not categorize or truncate the experiences of women all over the world. 

By Kate Yeater

​During our first team meeting in Hawai’i, it was mentioned that the World Conservation Congress (WCC) is more than just some meetings about the environment; it’s a space where thousands of different people, ideas, and experiences can intersect and be shared. Our experiences walking to and from the Convention Center, eating lunch in the middle of the bustling Congress, and talking with fellow participants, including indigenous leaders, can all contribute to our research project and data collection.
 
Today marked the first full day of our team attending events at the Hawai’i Convention Center. Prior to our brisk walk to the Center, we had a team meeting to discuss our schedules for the day and highlight any issues or questions team members had before embarking on the day’s adventures. I spent the majority of the day in the United Nations Development Programme and the Equator Initiative’s “Community Kauhale ʻŌiwi,” a room intended to be a hub for indigenous peoples at the Congress. It will also be a host of events “for indigenous peoples and local communities to exchange knowledge and best practices in sustainable environmental management,” according to the pamphlet I picked up inside the door. I’m sure our team will be seeing a lot of this room over the next few days as many of the events held here center around topics like the Sustainable Development Goals, conservation and protected areas, partnerships, and the rights of indigenous peoples; all topics directly related to the analytics of our research project, Presence 2 Influence.
 
While I spent time in the Kauhale Room hearing from indigenous peoples and their partners, my team members were also in their own scheduled events, participating in frustrating and redundant discussions about gender and mainstreaming or exploring the variety of Pavilions located on the first floor. In between events, with the intention of catching up on my field notes, I found an area overlooking the cityscape and the Hawaiian mountains in the distance. Distracted by social media and texts from friends, a quick Google search of Jane Goodall’s schedule at the WCC led me to realize that she was just a few rooms away and speaking at that moment! Without hesitation I rushed to Room 320, hoping that participants could still enter and knowing nothing about the event I was going to enter. The door supervisor approved my entrance, although he encouraged me to be quiet as I entered. Just a few yards away, Jane Goodall sat with Jeff Horowitz of Avoided Deforestation Partners as they discussed the role of forests in climate change and what young people can do to help protect the planet. It’s necessary to note that prior to coming to the WCC I joked with my friends that it was my life goal to share the same breathing space with Jane Goodall. Her career working with great apes, fighting for forest conservation, and encouraging community activism and partnerships inspire my own career interests. I was fortunate to have been in the right place and at the right time to see my lifelong hero in real life!
 
With projections of up to 9,000 people in attendance and 1,300 different events over the ten-day Congress, the WCC is full of informative sessions and spontaneous opportunities. In this first full day at the Convention Center I took on the roles of photographer, field researcher, super fan, and colleague. After a long day at the Congress, processing our notes and these experiences can be cumbersome. However, as I walked back to our hotel after catching up with colleagues from my internship with Amazon Watch, I could not help but be inspired and eager for the next several days ahead. Far from being just a meeting about conservation, the World Conservation Congress has hidden surprises and opportunities that make data collection and our own personal experiences both overwhelming and extremely exciting!

Elizabeth Wulbrecht

Today, we began bright and early. We left the hotel at 5:30 to attend the unofficial opening ceremony: the arrival of state delegates in traditional Vakas (canoes). Because of inclement weather (there are multiple hurricanes in the Pacific), the arrival was canceled. But everything else was business as usual. We pushed on with the other ceremonial activities, even in the midst of some heavy wind. The sky was clear and beautiful while the wind rumbled like thunder around the beach. I thought it was drums at first. Those who attended (there were surprisingly few of us, maybe 150 or so) got to witness a beautiful ritual ceremony. The state delegates asked permission to enter Hawaii by presenting gifts of nature to a man, who then arranged them on the sand in front of him.

The state delegates than spoke to the crowd. Today, the planet at the crossroads was repeatedly emphasized. Speakers discussed the sustainable initiatives that governments and individuals have taken and how our future is optimistic. Instead of emphasizing our failures, the speakers emphasized the unity of earth’s peoples and how we can come together and make a change. Another big theme of the day was community.

Hawaii’s state model is the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. I think this motto is rather fitting for a state hosting the WCC. The life of the land is disappearing and this disappearance won’t be stopped without the intervention of righteous people. Today, we heard from righteous people, people trying to implement and promote change. They reminded us of our moral obligation to protect the environment. They reminded us of our moral obligation to our ancestors and to future generations.

We heard from many important politicians: the governor of Hawaii David Ige, the president of Palau Tommy Remengesau, the president of the Federation of States of Micronesia Peter Christian, and many more. They reminded us that the Pacific Islands is on the front lines of climate change. There are more hurricanes and cyclones than ever before. The coral reefs are disappearing and Islands are being washed away. But, they were not pessimistic.  Today, the first day of the conference, was filled with hope and promise. I learned that if we stand together, anything is possible.