Dear Dr. Aguilar,

With less than a year remaining before the next IUCN World Conservation Congress, I want to briefly look back to the last WCC held in 2021 and remind the Director General and her staff of one critically important matter that emerged at the forum. 

On the final day of the 26th World Conservation Congress, the General Assembly voted in an overwhelming mandate (+87% Category A and +96% Category B and C, see attached photo) for Motion 101/Resolution 125. This policy calls for the IUCN to support, at a minimum, the 30×30 target and to do so with the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples (free, prior, and informed consent being a bare minimum).

Since that time the IUCN has made great strides in implementing these aspects of Resolution 125, but the most groundbreaking part of that resolution has been left by the wayside. The first operational paragraph of Motion 101/Resolution 125 reads:

CALLS ON all components of IUCN to recognise the evolving science, the majority of which supports that protecting, conserving and restoring at least half or more of the planet is likely necessary to reverse biodiversity loss, address climate change and as a foundation for sustainably managing the whole planet, and CALLS on the Director General to widely communicate this science in all relevant international fora; (emphasis mine).

As far as I know, the Director General has yet to carry out this aspect of Resolution of 125, despite the overwhelming support from members and the hard-won negotiations that resulted in this language being included in the policy.

I know that you, Dr. Aguilar, only recently took office. I have been impressed both by your leadership at the IUCN as well as your background, especially your work with Indigenous Peoples. Your insistence that Indigenous Peoples are not just included in conservation work but central to its development and implementation, I hope proves to be a transformational principle of our sector. Traditional Indigenous leadership and lifeways merits equal partnership, not just on the basis of justice and inclusivity but also because mainstream contemporary culture can and should learn from their example. It is for these reasons that I have great hope that you can fulfill the member mandate in the first operational paragraph of Resolution 125 and do so in a way that is truly transformational, by embracing and prioritizing the capacitation of Indigenous stewardship of terrestrial and marine areas, and expanding their territories alongside the creation of new protected areas.

WILD.org is excited to share with you some tools that can help you in widely communicating the science of Half and fulfilling all parts of Resolution 125. First and foremost, we have sent to your offices one of our Nature Needs Half t-shirts. When you don’t have time to share the below Nature Needs Half literature review, you can always speak volumes with good fashion. But I also want to share with you the culmination of decades of research that has resulted in at least Half becoming the scientific consensus. The articles listed below are just a fraction of what exists in this area, but in respect for your busy schedule, I hope they provide a substantial initiation. I have also included links to resolutions delegates adopted at the 12th World Wilderness Congress this August in He Sápa (the Black Hills, the sacred territory of the Lakota Nation), the first to be hosted by a traditional Indigenous government (but not the last!). These resolutions pertain directly to Half and you and your staff can expect to see many of their recommendations represented in the motions that WILD.org puts forward for this upcoming World Conservation Congress.

Get your shirt here

Your leadership at the IUCN gives me hope for so many reasons. I also recognize that there is much to do around the quality of protected and conservation areas, in addition to the quantity. Nevertheless, one of the best things about the IUCN is its inclusive and democratic platform. In the interest of both nature and democracy, I send this message in the hopes that we can work together to serve both and give nature the space it needs to survive and thrive.

Sincerely,

Amy Lewis
CEO
WILD.org

THE SAUCE
WHY HALF:

Harvey Locke
(November 2013) Nature Needs Half: A Necessary and Hopeful Agenda for Protected Areas. Read here.

Dr. Stephen Woodley
(November 2019) Area-based conservation beyond 2020: A global survey of conservation scientists (Parks, Vol 25.2) Read here.

(November 2019) A review of evidence for area-based conservation targets for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (Parks, Vol 25.2). Read here.

Dr. Eric Dinerstein
(April 2019) A Global Deal For Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets. Read here. 

(September, 2020). A ‘Global Safety Net’ to reverse biodiversity loss and stabilize Earth’s climate.” Read here.

Amy Lewis
(November, 2022). Is the status quo ambitious enough? Why protecting 50×30 is the best target to address the climate and extinction emergencies. Read here.

HOW HALF:

Harvey Locke
(September, 2019) Three global conditions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use: an implementation framework. Read here. 

 Karl Burkart & Carly Vynne, PhD
The Global Deal for Nature. Read here.

 HALF & EXPANDING INDIGENOUS LAND TENURE:

WILD12 Resolution 1: On Sovereignty and Wilderness: Deepening the Wilderness Concept Through Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom

WILD12 Resolution 7: Making Space Protect White Animals, Messengers of Peace

 WILD12 Resolution 8: Empowering Ecological Outcomes by Honoring Treaties

WILD12 Resolution 9: Urgent Mineral Withdrawal from the Black Hills 

WILD12 Resolution 12: Protecting Sámi Forests: Safeguarding Biodiversity and Indigenous Livelihoods