As the IUCN World Conservation Congress came to a close on Saturday, Gov. David Ige joined the heads of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and National Tropical Botanical Garden in reflecting on 10 days in which top international conservationists committed to international efforts to solve the worlds’ most pressing environmental crises and local leaders set priorities for conservation efforts close to home.
Ige lauded the event as “hugely successful” for Hawaii — “with almost no traffic problems.”
“The conclusion of the IUCN congress is the beginning of the real work,” Ige said. “The state of Hawaii is committed to working with our global partners to make change happen.”
Ige reiterated his commitment to the Sustainable Hawaii Initiative, which he introduced at the opening ceremony of the convention on Sept. 1.
The plan calls for instituting protections for 30 percent of the state’s highest priority watersheds, effectively managing 30 percent of nearshore ocean waters, and doubling Hawaii’s food production by 2030. It also includes a Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan to prevent, detect and control invasive species; sets a goal of reaching 100 percent renewable energy use in the electricity sector by 2045; and commits the state to joining the Global Island Partnership, an initiative among island communities to develop culturally appropriate sustainability models.
“We’ve got our marching orders going forward and set clear goals,” said DLNR Director Suzanne Case. “We’ll be able to move forward on those now.”
NTBG president and CEO Chipper Wichman said Hawaii was an appropriate venue for the World Conservation Congress, which convenes every four years.
“Islands are evolutionary edges that create biodiversity,” Wichman said. “We’re also at the cutting edge of all of these issues, including invasive species, climate change, sea-level rise, and overdevelopment. We have no choice but to set examples for the rest of the world.
“(The convention) exceeded all my expectations,” he said. “What will be left behind is a legacy of conservation and a culture of conservation that is much deeper, much broader and much more powerful than when we convened 10 days ago.”
The event drew more than 10,000 registered participants from 192 countries and IUCN members adopted more than 100 resolutions and recommendations.
Among the key issues addressed during the convention were:
>> Illegal wildlife trade: Calls were made for governments to close domestic markets of elephant ivory, promote sustainable use of the South American vicuna (a camel-like animal), and ban the breeding of lions for “canned shooting” hunting expeditions.
>> Indigenous peoples: IUCN members created a new category of IUCN membership specifically for indigenous peoples’ organizations.
>> No-go areas: Members moved to have all land and seascapes classified under any IUCN category of protected areas off-limits for damaging industrial activities.
>> Oil palm: IUCN will support the identification and protection of intact forests and critical ecosystems affected by the oil palm industry.
>> Biodiversity offsets: Members agreed on a policy that emphasizes the need to avoid biodiversity loss and to adopt offsets as a last resort.
>> High seas: Members support internationally binding legislation to preserve the high seas, setting a goal of 30 percent marine area protection by 2030 (roughly two-thirds of the world’s ocean areas are beyond national jurisdiction).
