By Gaulbert Sutherland in Hawaii
Ecosystems across the world are in peril as a result of global warming and the need for urgent action to safeguard biodiversity and protect against the impacts of climate change was emphasised as the largest conservation gathering in the world kicked off here yesterday.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress – held every four years – brings together over 8300 delegates from 184 countries including a number of Heads-of-State and other high-level government officials as well as reps from other organisations to Honolulu, Hawaii to discuss a number of conservation-related issues.
The Congress is being held under the theme ‘Planet at the crossroads,’ and speaker after speaker at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu yesterday highlighted the perils faced as a result of several threats and warned that time is running out even as they emphasised the actions that have been taken to protect the planet. The message sent out was that nature conservation and human progress are not a zero-sum game and credible and accessible choices exist that can promote general welfare while promoting and supporting the earth’s natural assets.
