8th World Wilderness Congress Generates Conservation Results.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The 8th World Wilderness Congress announced today that it achieved all of its conversation objectives and generated several unexpected results: new protected areas (both native and governmental); new wilderness legislation; increased inter-governmental and organizational cooperation yielding several new initiatives and networks; scores of professionals and volunteers trained in wilderness management, communications, and advocacy; and new funding to safeguard wildlands, wild species and human beings around the world.

The 8th WWC involved 1,200 delegates from up to 60 nations, and heavily emphasized the role of native peoples in protecting wilderness and wildlands. The 8th WWC also tackled contentious issues such as the proposed oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and global warming. Following is a summary of the 8th WWC's major accomplishments, with complete details on each available through [e-mail].

--New Wilderness and Protected Areas - Cemex, one of the world's largest producers of cement, announced the designation of the El Carmen Wilderness Area on critical biodiversity habitat owned by the corporation in northern Mexico.

--The WILD Planet Fund - New funding for a proactive global wildlands initiative was announced, with Cemex partnering with The WILD Foundation to launch the WILD Planet Fund, the funding mechanism for The WILD Planet Project.

--New Wilderness Legislation - Ernesto Enkerlin, (President of CONANP, National Commission for Protected Areas in Mexico) announced that "wilderness" will be a new official category of Mexico's protected area framework, with the capability of being applied on all types of land including corporate, federal, communal and other private lands. This is the first such legal use of the term "wilderness" as a protected area category in all of Latin America.

--Freshwater and Marine Wilderness - Under The WILD Planet Project, a consortium of organizations including Conservation International, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and others unveiled new and improved inventories and definitions to address the protection as "wilderness" of marine and freshwater systems around the world.

--Native Lands and Wilderness Council - Also a part of The WILD Planet Project, indigenous people from 25 nations around the world formed the Native Lands and Wilderness Council and set initial goals for the group.

--International League of Conservational Photographers - A new working group was initiated by 40 of the world's finest conservation photographers.

--AIDS in Africa - The Wilderness Foundation (South Africa), working with HOPE Worldwide and other partners, announced a new initiative to assist young people orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Umzi Wethu -- "our home" -- will give orphaned young people housing, training and jobs in the ecotourism, hospitality and other industries.

--Numerous other professional networks and conservation organizations were formed - The 8th WWC continued the WWC commitment to creating targeted, collaborative professional networks:

--  The Wilderness Policy Council (a US federal, inter-agency
            group) convened the first Global Wilderness Seminar for
            Government Agencies

        --  A delegation of over 25 Russians met in numerous settings
            during several days of the Congress, for specific
            negotiations with their counterparts in Alaskan and US
            federal land management agencies operating in Alaska

        --  The World Wilderness Youth Network was established by the
            youth and young professionals whom participated in
            specific programs at the 8th WWC

--Public Outreach in Alaska - The 8th WWC Executive Committee worked closely with all concerned sectors -- development, conservation and education -- in Alaska for two years prior to the 8th WWC. Aware that "wilderness" is often a highly polarizing word in Alaska, and the subject of many pitched conservation battles, the Executive Committee developed numerous ways to outreach to the local community to help inform and educate Alaskans on the values of wilderness and wildlands:

--  Partial and full scholarships to virtually any Alaskan who
            wished to attend the Congress and had financial
            constraints of any manner.

        --  Free public events: "Nature Screen", an international film
            festival; the WILD Expo; and an extensive schedule of
            audio-visual presentations and lectures from many
            countries, presented at the Public Lands building in
            downtown Anchorage.

        --  Finally, a juried competition was initiated and funded by
            The WILD Foundation, the result of which is a public
            sculpture by Rachelle Dowdy, Alaskan artist. This
            sculpture highlights both the important and inescapable
            link between wildlife and people, as well as the
            commitment of The WILD Foundation and the WWC to the role
            of culture in communicating and enhancing positive
            conservation solutions.

--Technical Information and Training - Numerous training programs occurred before and during the 8th WWC. Thirty professionals from 21 countries completely an accredited Wilderness Management course.

--Resolutions - Delegates worked hard on, debated, and eventually approved a targeted list of 51 resolutions that addressed broad conservation concerns as well as specific areas and issues needing international and local attention and action.