Figure 9—More than 45,000 people, mostly disadvantaged youth from communities throughout South Africa, have experienced the programs of the Wilderness Leadership School and the Wilderness Foundation South Africa. Photo by Margot Muir.
Sierra Club, the New York Community Trust, CIDA (Canada), and others. • The use of wilderness for personal growth, therapy, and leadership development—In keeping with WILD’s emphasis on the link between wilderness and people, each Congress has tried to expand the scholarship and practice of projects that use wilderness to expand human potential through experiential programs. Originally instigated by Dr. John Hendee (former U.S. Forest Service administrator; dean of forestry at University of Idaho; and on WILD’s board of directors since 1988), this major project area has come together
Figure 10—Carlos Manuel Rodriquez, minister of environment in Costa Rica, addresses the 1,200 delegates at the 8th WWC. Photo by Carl Johnson.
8 | The Wild Planet Project | May 2007
at five of the Congresses through significant symposia of academics and practitioners. • Wilderness Science and Management— Every WWC features plenary sessions and symposia providing forums where university and government wilderness scientists and managers present a variety of ideas, technical analyses, progress reports, and panel discussions. The WWC Science and Management program, launched at the 4th, 5th, and 6th WWCs by WILD science director Dr. John Hendee, was further expanded at the 7th and 8th WWCs by Dr. Alan Watson of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute (funded by all the U.S. federal land management agencies). For example, at the 8th WWC in Alaska, the U.S. federal agencies collaborated and convened the first Global Wilderness Management Seminar for Government Agencies. Further, during three days of wilderness working sessions, the WWC Science and Management program sponsored 36 technical sessions, featuring 450 presentations or posters. Following each WWC the proceedings of the Science and Management program provide important repositories of selected wilderness science and management knowledge and progress. • Culture and conservation—At every Congress there is action on one of
WILD’s maxims: Culture is not just entertainment; it is part of the conservation solution. As a result, the WWC incorporates artists, poets, writers, photographers, and others—from all communities, including native—to infuse the proceedings with the inspiration and practical aspects of their work for conservation. The most recent results include numerous popular publications; donation of a major public sculpture to downtown Anchorage to inform and inspire the people of Alaska; and the significant founding of the International League of Conservation Photographers by Cristina Mittermeier and dozens of the world’s top photographers.
Figure 11—Megaron addresses the first Native Lands and Wilderness Council at the 8th WWC, Alaska, 2005. Photo by Vance G. Martin.
The WWC Strategy This record of the WWC’s practical success over almost 30 years and eight Congresses has been achieved through a deliberate and evolving strategy. The WWC is a conservation project, not a conference. Each Congress takes three years or more to conceive, fund, and implement. Conservation objectives are identified, collaborating partners and coalitions are formed, finances are raised, and work proceeds to achieve these objectives. The convened Congress with 1,000 to 2,000 delegates from 45 to 75 countries is simply the culmination of this process, where results can be seen, evaluations conducted, announcements made, and future plans conceived. Continued page 18