In the News

  • Conservation summit considers motions proposed by law students
    10 Jul 2016 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

    When five law students and professor Denise Antolini from the University of Hawaii at Manoa huddled around a laptop and clicked on a “submit” button in February, it was a landmark moment.

    That click, simple as it might sound, represented all of their efforts to promote collective action in the conservation world.

    “It was a milestone,” said Antolini, associate dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law. “A very exciting, giddy moment.”

    They had been hard at work the past year, brainstorming, reaching out to the public and fine-tuning seven motions to be introduced at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress to be held Sept. 1-10 in Honolulu. The congress is expected to draw more than 8,000 delegates from around the globe and is being held in the United States for the first time.

    An online subscription to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser may be required to access the full article.

  • AUDIO: City unveils IUCN World Congress plans
    5 Jul 2016 | Hawaii Public Radio–HPR2

    A global conference with thousands of dignitaries and attendees will be hosted by the state in less than 60 days. The City and County of Honolulu unveiled its general plans today.

  • Diversity is life
    5 Jul 2016 | Maui No Ka Oi Magazine

    The World Conservation Congress is sometimes called the Olympics of environmental gatherings. It’s held every four years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a network of more than 1,200 governmental, scientific and nonprofit organizations representing 160 countries. Surprisingly, since its inception in 1948, the congress has never been held in the United States.

    Until now.

    Thanks to a Hawai‘i coalition led by Chipper Wichman, president and CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua‘i, and endorsed by President Barack Obama, Honolulu will host the 2016 World Conservation Congress from September 1 through 10.

  • AUDIO: IUCN Conservation Congress two months away
    22 Jun 2016 | Hawaii Public Radio–HPR2

    Hawaii will host a first-ever international conference to be held in the United States in a little over 2 months.

  • VIDEO: Ala Wai Canal will close during World Conservation Congress this fall
    2 Jun 2016 | KHON-2

    A portion of the heavily used Ala Wai Canal will be closed for a few days this fall.

    The decision was made by the Board of Land and Natural Resources Thursday due to security concerns during the IUCN World Conservation Congress Sept. 1-10.

    The closure would extend from the Ala Moana Boulevard Bridge to the Kalakaua Avenue Bridge at certain times during those dates.

    “We’re going to be mindful of fact that we’re spending taxpayer money on this, but we intend to use this to ensure that the public is safe, and the well-being and the safety of public is kept to the highest level possible during the conference,” said Jason Redulla, DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE).

  • VIDEO: The Rising Tide of the IUCN Congress – Randall Tanaka
    1 Apr 2016 | ThinkTech Hawaii

    Six to eight thousand visitors from over 160 countries will gather for the IUCN World Conservation Congress at the Hawaii Convention Center from September 1-10, 2016. What opportunities will it bring for Hawaii’s conservation community? How can local conservation groups participate? Randy shares the preparations for hosting the World’s largest conservation event here in Honolulu.

  • VIDEO: Getting Ready for IUCN Congress with Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin and UH Assc. Dean Denise Antolini
    30 Mar 2016 | ThinkTech Hawaii

    Justice Antonio Benjamin of Brazil’s High Court, considered a leader in global environmental law joins us to discuss the upcoming International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress, held in Hawaii from September 1-10, 2016. Justice Benjamin shares the importance of this group and gives a preview of the coming congress which is being hosted by the U.S. for the first time in its history.

  • The Olympics of the conservation world: Coming to Hawaii
    22 Jan 2016 | National Wildlife Foundation, Wildlife Foundation Blogs from Around the World

    Do not let anyone tell you that dreams do not come true – this is a story about a dream that came true and that can change the future for wildlife and the world. It began in 2008 when thousands of people including national leaders and conservation practitioners from around the world gathered in Barcelona, Spain, to attend the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress (WWC). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Switzerland, is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries.

  • Office of Hawaiian Affairs gives $500K to World Conservation Congress
    12 Jan 2016 | Pacific Business News

    The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has committed $500,000 to support the upcoming World Conservation Congress event in Honolulu. The award was presented to the National Host Committee, which includes fiscal sponsor East-West Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

  • Q&A Chipper Wichman
    18 Sep 2015 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Green Leaf Blog

    Charles “Chipper” Wichman, president and Chief Executive Officer of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, believed that the IUCN World Conservation Congress could be hosted by the U.S. and more specifically, in Honolulu. Wichman played a leadership role in bringing the Congress here, an effort that started as early as 2009. Wichman currently serves as vice chair of the IUCN Congress National Host Committee’s executive committee and vice chair of its program committee.

    The Green Leaf had a conversation with Wichman about the upcoming Congress, which marks a milestone because it’s the first time it will be held in the U.S. The summit is expected to bring 6,000 to 8,000 leaders (from government, businesses, academia, NGOs and unique indigenous communities) representing 160 nations around the globe to the Hawaii Convention Center from Sept. 1 to 10, with possible attendance by President Barack Obama, Prince William and the Prince of Monaco.

  • Hawaii committee halfway to $10M goal for World Conservation Congress 2016
    17 Sep 2015 | Pacific Business News

    Officials are more than halfway to their $10 million fundraising goal for next year’s “Planet at the Crossroads” World Conservation Congress. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress 2016 will be held in Hawaii for the first time in its 68-year history.

  • Organizers gearing up for huge conservation event in Hawaii
    16 Sep 2015 | Civil Beat

    With a mammoth conservation event heading to Honolulu in less than a year, organizers are ramping up to be ready to host up to 10,000 delegates from around the world. “Hawaii is indeed a microcosm of what’s happening worldwide,” Enrique Lahmann, IUCN global director, told reporters Wednesday at the Hawaii Convention Center. Randall Tanaka, WCN executive director, said it’s appropriate that Hawaii is the host with the 2016 theme being, “Planet at the Crossroads,” not just because of where the islands are located geographically but because of the universal nature of so many issues that the state struggles with and has found solutions for.

  • World Conservation Congress Hawaii
    25 Aug 2015 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Green Leaf Blog

    Several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, business, academia and indigenous communities are gathering for the IUCN World Conservation Congress at the Hawai‘i Convention Center from Sept. 1 to 10, 2016. The theme of this year’s conference, to be held for the first time in Hawaii (and the U.S.), is “Planet at the crossroads.” The Congress is divided into two parts – the Forum, which is open to the wider public, and the Members’ Assembly, a global environmental parliament where member organizations discuss and vote on a wide range of issues that guide the IUCN work program and partnership initiatives. A call for contributions went out in June for any interested groups that want to host an event during the conference’s Forum.

  • VIDEO: Hawaii to Host World Conservation Congress in 2016
    21 May 2015 | BigIslandVideoNews.com

    The world’s largest conservation event is heading to the Aloha State in 2016. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Council has selected Hawaii as the host of the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress.The Congress is held every four years and “brings together leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and indigenous and grass-roots organizations to discuss and decide on solutions to the world’s most pressing environment and development challenges”, the organization says.

  • VIDEO: Hawaii to host World Conservation Congress in 2016
    21 May 2014 | KHON-2

    The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will hold its 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress (IUCN Congress) in Hawaii. This will be the first time a U.S. location is hosting the IUCN Congress since IUCN’s inception in 1948.“This is both an honor and 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,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said.

  • Hawaii awarded global conference in September 2016: World Conservation Congress coming
    14 May 2014 | The Garden Island

    It’s a first for Hawaii, and a first for the country, too.The International Union for Conservation of Nature Council on Wednesday selected Hawaii to host the world’s largest conservation event in 2016.Hawaii beat out Turkey, the other finalist, to earn the global convention. It will be the first time the World Conservation Congress will be held in the United States, and coincides with the 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service.

  • Hawaii Bidding for Major Conservation Gathering
    13 Feb 2014 | MauiNow.com

    The state is showcasing its position in a bid to host the 2016 World Conservation Congress, presented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. If Hawaii is successful in its bid, it would be the first time for the US to host the international event. “Based on our success hosting the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, I believe we have a compelling case as to why the United States and Hawaii provide the ideal venue to host this gathering,” said Governor Neil Abercrombie in a department press release.