IUCN World Conservation Congress

Nature+

Nature provides us with a vast range of both tangible and intangible benefits. However, human civilization has weakened nature's ability to support our lives and communities. Today, we have the science and knowledge to conserve biodiversity and boost nature’s resilience as well as a broadening network across nations and cultures to share and learn.

The 2012 World Conservation Congress was held from 6 to 15 September in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, to bring together global conservationists, government leaders, the public sector, academia, NGOs, businesses, UN agencies and social organizations to discuss how to boost the resilience of nature.

Building on the 2008 World Conservation Congress's theme of "a diverse and sustainable world," the 2012 World Conservation Congress focused on the theme of "Nature+," exploring how many of the most pressing environmental and development issues are related to a strong and resilient state of nature.

What is the World Conservation Congress?

Based in Switzerland, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's largest and oldest global environment network, with more than 1,200 government and NGO member organizations and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

Every four years, IUCN hosts the World Conservation Congress, the world's largest and most important conservation event. The World Conservation Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development by providing a venue for dialogue, discussion and knowledge-sharing as well as influencing the global conservation agenda.

This year, the Congress began with a Forum of over 1000 workshops, social events, roundtable discussions, exhibitions, training courses, receptions and panels of world leaders, where people from all over the world discuss, share, and learn.

At Jeju, NGO members, governments and other IUCN members will also gather at the Member's Assembly, the highest decision-making body of IUCN, to debate more than 170 motions and establish policy to guide the Union for the next four years. The Assembly has been behind many of the most important global conservation initiatives over the past 64 years.

CI at WCC 2012

Building on a solid foundation of conservation field work and policy engagement, CI staff presented at almost 40 events at the Forum and sponsored more than 10 motions at the Member's Assembly.

Conservation International 2010 Annual Report (PDF)

Read a message from our leadership »

Field Programs: Protecting Nature for the Benefit of People (PDF)

See all of CI's field demonstration brochures »

Overview of Conservation International (PDF)

en Español | en Français | em Português

Where We Work (map)

Learn more about the places CI works »

Ecosystem Finance

Ecosystem Finance (PDF)

Ecosystem Finance and Climate Security (PDF)

Ecosystem Finance and Fresh Water Security (PDF)

Sustainable Landscapes Partnership (PDF)
Visit the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership website »

The Conservation Stewards Program (PDF)
Visit the Conservation Stewards Programme website »

Verde Ventures (PDF)
Visit the Verde Ventures website »

Carbon Fund (PDF)
Visit the Carbon Fund website »

Global Conservation Fund (PDF)
Visit the Global Conservation Fund website »

Global Conservation Fund Long-Term Financing Toolkit (PDF)

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (PDF)

en Français | en Español | 日本語

Visit the CEPF website »

Agriculture, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being

Vital Signs — an Integrated Global Monitoring System for Agriculture, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being (PDF)

Grow Africa Sustainably by Sandy Andelman in The Financial Times' This is Africa

Training Materials

Climate Change and the Role of Forests: A Community Manual
Susan Stone and Mario Chacón León

This document is part of a series of products created to provide training to indigenous peoples' organizations and local NGOs to support their efforts to bring information to indigenous peoples and local communities on the basics of climate change and REDD+.

Download this manual in:

English | Español | Français | Bahasa | Malagasy

Training of Trainers: Climate Change and the Role of Forests

• Overview and Case Studies (PDF)
• Factsheet (PDF)

REDD+ Stakeholder Engagement Assessment — Methodological Framework (PDF)

Case Studies and Factsheets

The Nested Approach to REDD+ in Peru (PDF)

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest Conservation Initiative - Peru (PDF)

Case Studies — Free, Prior and Informed Consent by the Indigenous Advisory Group (PDF)

The Indigenous Advisory Group Factsheet (PDF)

Ecosystem-based adaptation: benefiting humanity and nature together (PDF)

Ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change (PDF)

Conservation International and Smallholders (PDF)

Rapid Assessment Program — Discovering and Describing Nature (PDF)
Visit the Rapid Assessment Program Expeditions and Discoveries website »

TEAM: Providing Real-Time Data for Tropical Forest Conservation (PDF)
Visit the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network website »

Business Engagement

IBAT for Business: Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (PDF)

Coffee + Climate Change: Vulnerability Assessment for Coffee Farmers in North Sumatra and Aceh (PDF)

Coffee + Carbon: Promoting Forest Conservation and the Sequestration of Carbon (PDF)

Other Publications

America's Climate Choices: Panel on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change (PDF)

Predicting how adaptation to climate change could affect ecological conservation: Secondary impacts of shifting agricultural suitability (PDF)

Projected impacts of climate change on a continent-wide protected area network (PDF)

Beyond bioclimatic envelopes: dynamic species' range and abundance modelling in the context of climatic change (PDF) (PDF)

Upslope Range Shifts of Andean Dung Beetles in Response to Deforestation: Compounding and Confounding Effects of Microclimatic Change (PDF)

Range Shifts and Extinctions Driven by Climate Change in the Tropical Andes: Synthesis and Directions (PDF)

Warming seas in the coral triangle: Coral reef vulnerability and management implications (PDF)

Globally downscaled climate projections for assessing the conservation impacts of climate change (PDF)

Climate change: Protecting biodiversity and harnessing nature’s climate solutions

Trade-offs in Conservation: Deciding What to Save (PDF)

The Future of Tropical Species on a Warmer Planet (PDF)

Andrew Tordoff, EFM-Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund/IUCN
Angela Andrade, CI-Colombia/IUCN
Asako Isobe, CI-Japan
Bruce Beehler, Science and Knowledge
Celia Harvey, Science and Knowledge
Christopher Stone, Ecosystem Finance and Markets/GCF
Claudio Schneider, CI-Peru
Conrad Savy, Ecosystem Finance and Markets-CELB
Curan Bonham, Ecosystem Finance and Markets/GCF
Dave Hole, Science and Knowledge
Ella Outlaw, Office of the President
Enrique Nunez, Project Manager, CI-Philippines
Haja Rasambainarivo, IT
Ian Harrison, Science and Knowledge/IUCN
Iben Munck, Center for Conservation and Government
Jennifer Morris, Ecosystem Finance and Markets
Johnson Cerda, Center for Conservation and Government
Jorge Ahumada, Science and Knowledge
Judith Reyes, Ecosystem Finance and Markets/GCF
Kristen Walker, Center for Conservation and Government
Luis Barquin, Center for Conservation and Government
Lynn Tang, CI-Singapore
Michael McGreevey, Ecosystem Finance and Markets/GCF
Milagros Sandoval, CI-Peru
Monique Derfuss, Center for Conservation and Government
Nina Marshall, EFM-Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund/IUCN
Patrick Manu, IT
Pierre Carret, EFM-Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Romas Garbaliauskas, Ecosystem Finance and Markets/GCF
Rosimeiry Portela, Science and Knowledge
Russ Mittermeier, President/IUCN Council Member
Sandy Andelman, Science and Knowledge
Susan Stone, Center for Conservation and Government
Sue Taei, CI-Samoa Marine program
Yoji Natori, CI-Japan

Friday, September 7

Stakeholder Engagement and Social Safeguards to Support Indigenous Peoples and Forest Communities in REDD+ Processes: Cases, Lessons and Ways Forward
IUCN, Conservation International, Gobierno Regional de San Martin (GORESAM), Amazonicos por la Amazonia (AMPA)
CI Contact: Claudio Schneider
CI Speaker: Milagros Sandoval
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Community Ma-eul
Type: Workshop

Building Resilience to Climate Change Through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (CEM official session)
IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Managament, CI Colombia, CATIE
CI Contact: Angela Andrade
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Halla A
Type: Workshop

Saturday, September 8

Climate Change, REDD+ and Adaptation: Meeting Training Needs for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
Conservation International, Rainforest Alliance, IUCN, CATIE-Costa Rica, CADPI – Nicaragua
CI Contact: Luis Barquin
CI Speakers: Susan Stone, Luis Barquin, Cerda Johnson, Enrique Nunez
Time: 09:00-18:00
Location: Crystal Ballroom 3 – Lotte Hotel
Type: Conservation Campus

Food and Ecological Security: The Role of Public and Private Sector in Supporting Ecosystem Resilience
UNEP, Conservation International, Gates Foundation, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, Institute of Ecology and Systematics, Cuba
CI Speaker: Rosimeiry Portela
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Samda Hall
Type: Workshop

Law and Governance for REDD+
IUCN Environmental Law Centre, ClientEarth, WRI, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, IUCN Mesoamerica Office (ORMA), IUCN Academy of Environmental Law
CI Contact: Milagros Sandoval
Time: 09:00-18:00
Location: Pearl Room - Lotte Hotel
Type: Conservation Campus

From Competition to Collaboration between Agriculture and Conservation: Moving Toward Convergence Between Agro-ecology and Conservation Biology
IUCN and the Christensen Fund
CI Speaker: Sandy Andelman
CI Contact: Celia Harvey
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: 201 Type: Workshop

Connecting People and Sharing Knowledge on Blue Carbon – The Latest Knowledge Products and Experiences from the Field
UNEP, Conservation International, UNESCO-IOC, IUCN – WCPA
CI Speaker: Leah Karrer, Sue Taei
Time: 13:00-14:30
Location: Blue Planet Pavilion
Type: Pavilion Event

The Role of Partnerships and Size in Scaling Up Marine Protection Efforts Across the Globe
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Conservation International, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Big Ocean Network, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Env. Programme, New England Aquarium
CI Contact: Leah Karrer
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: 201
Type: Workshop

Empowering Rural Stewardship to Conserve Biodiversity and Enhance Ecosystem Services
IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, EarthWatch, Conservation International, IUCN Ecosystem Management Programme
CI Contact: Celia Harvey
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Halla B
Type: Workshop

Sunday, September 9

Conservation Finance for Protected Areas, Gaps, Comparative Analysis and Alternatives in a Dynamic Debate
Conservation Finance Alliance, GPAP, Fondation International du Banc d’Anguin, French Global Environment Facility
CI Contact: Jennifer Morris
Time: 08:30-10:30
Location: Protected Planet Pavilion
Type: Pavilion Event

Is Bigger Better? Inviting Experiences and Perspectives on Large-Scale Marine Protection
Big Ocean Network; Conservation International, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, New England Aquarium
CI Contact: Sue Taei
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: 102
Type: Knowledge Café

Investing in Natural Infrastructure as an Element of Green Economies
IUCN Water Programme, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, TNC, The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, The World Bank
CI Speaker: Nina Marshall
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Halla B
Type: Workshop

Ocean +
World Bank, IUCN, Conservation International
CI Speaker: Russell Mittermeier
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Samda Hall
Type: Workshop

Sustaining Freshwater Ecosystem Services in Wilderness, Protected Areas and General Use Landscapes
Conservation International, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Parks Canada Agency
CI Speaker: Ian Harrison
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: 202
Type: Workshop

What Role Will the Implementation of TEEB Play in Conservation Efforts?
UNEP, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ), Conservation International, Bundesamt für Naturschutz (Germany), Ecosystem Services Partnership
CI Speaker: Rosimeiry Portela
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Halla A
Type: Workshop

Addressing Development Impacts at an Ecosystem Level: The Practical Application of the Mitigation Hierarchy
The Nature Conservancy
CI Contact: Conrad Savy
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Yeongju B
Type: Knowledge Café

Reception: Meet Your Future Francophone Partners! Découvrez vos Futurs Partenaires Francophones!
Sponsored by CEPF, MAVA Foundation, and Comité Français de l'UICN. Includes a speaker and refreshments. Open to all.
CI Contact: Pierre Carret
Time: 19:00-21:00
Location: Sorang Restaurant
Type: Social event

Global Conservation Fund Reception
GCF celebrates its 10th anniversary, highlighting our experience supporting long-term management of protected areas. Includes a video screening, speakers and refreshments. Invitation only
CI Contact: Chris Stone
CI Speakers: Russ Mittermeier, Pavan Sukhdev, Naoko Ishii
Time: 20:00-22:00
Location: Restaurant Delezia (3rd floor)

Monday, September 10

Enhancing Resilience With Nature: Translating the Science and Practice of Ecosystem Restoration into Policy
IUCN Global Water Programme, The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), IPSI Secretariat (Satoyama Initiative), Conservation International, Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Parks Victoria
CI Speaker: Angela Andrade
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Halla A
Type: Workshop

Using Ecosystems and Traditional Knowledge to Help People Adapt to Climate Change: Building the Evidence Base
Conservation International, IIED, UNEP-WCMC, The World Bank, BirdLife International
CI Contact: Dave Hole
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Halla B
Type: Workshop

All You Wanted to Know About Biodiversity Offset
IUCN BBP
CI Speaker: Conrad Savy
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Business & Economy Pavilion
Type: Pavilion Event

Approaches to Enhance Social and Gender Equity and Value Indigenous Knowledge through Integrated Ecosystem-based Planning
UNEP, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Mbarara University of Science and Technology
CI Speaker: Rosimeiry Portela
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Community Ma-eul Room 101
Type: Workshop

Conservation Finance: Gaps, Comparative Analysis and Alternatives in a Dynamic Debate
Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA), KfW, FFEM - French Global Environment Facility, IUCN, UNDP
CI Contact: Jennifer Morris
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Samda Hall
Type: Workshop

Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples and a New Role for Conservation Organizations in Nature's Governance
The Conservation Initiative on Human Rights (CIHR)
CI Contact: Kristen Walker-Painemilla
CI Panelist: Russ Mittermeier
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Community Ma-eul – Room 101
Type: Workshop

Is Understanding Biodiversity Risk Good for Business?
IUCN North America, BirdLife International, Conservation International, UNEP-WCMC
CI Speaker: Conrad Savy
Time: 19:00-21:00
Location: Business & Economy Pavilion
Type: Pavilion Event

Tuesday, September 11

The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network: Building a Global Network to Inform Conservation
Conservation International, The Wildlife Conservation Society
CI Contact: Jorge Ahumada
Time: 11:00-13:00
Location: Room 102
Type: Knowledge Café

The Global Wetlands Observing System: GEO BON support for Ramsar
Conservation International/IUCN, GEO BON, Ramsar
CI Speaker: Ian Harrison
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: Yeongju B
Type: Knowledge Café

Understanding Biodiversity Risk — The Role and Value of IBAT, the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool
IUCN U.S. Office, Birdlife, SSC, UNEP-WCMC
CI Speaker: Conrad Savy
Time: 14:30-16:30
Location: 402 A
Type: Workshop

Supporting Civil Society to Apply Innovative Conservation Approaches in Key Biodiversity Areas and Priority Corridors in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot
CEPF, BirdLife, IUCN
CI Speakers: Nina Marshall and Pierre Carret
Time: 15:30 - 16:30
Location: Protected Area Pavilion
Type: Workshop