The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that Honolulu will be the location for its World Conservation Congress in 2016. This marks the first time the United States will host the event since the IUCN was established in 1948.
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie welcomed the news, saying “This is both an honor and an opportunity for us to show the entire conservation community, the world over, how Hawaii has adopted a leadership role in preserving and protecting resources, developing sustainability programs on multiple fronts, and addressing many of the issues associated with global climate change. The IUCN World Conservation Congress is the largest and most prestigious of all gatherings of the conservation community. Hawaii was widely recognized as an ideal venue, including a strong expression of support from President Obama. We look forward to welcoming as many as 8,000 delegates to Hawaii in 2016”.
PSA formally supported Hawaii’s bid for the 2016 WCC, as we believe it is ideally positioned to bring together the nations of Asia and the Pacific, together with UN agencies, private sector representatives and global conservation partners, to facilitate discussions and agreements on biodiversity, climate change, species conservation, invasive species and how to integrate those goals with the needs of indigenous communities.
PSA President Nancy Lewis served on the Hawaii committee for the WCC bid.