Wilderlands’ Post

Following the fourth ILCN Global Congress, held in Quebec, Canada, I wrote an article reflecting on some of the key themes that international experts in private and civic land conservation are tackling right now, and in particular how Australian delegates are contributing to and benefiting from these conversations. I cover a fair amount of ground in the article - but a few threads include: 🌿 Relationships are at the heart of effective conservation outcomes. Starting with local networks and peer based learning all the way through to radical partnerships, we need these more than ever. And when we get them right we can, as Jody Gunn, CEO of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance shared about ALCA, achieve a 'cohesive, sophisticated and mutually supportive movement'. 💸Plugging the conservation finance gap will require a range of solutions, including nature markets. But government really needs to stick around for the ride - to provide base funding but also strategic and policy direction. As Wilderlands CEO Ash Knop said, 'we need leadership'. 🐄 Permanent protection on private land needs new partners and new tools. PhD candidate Sarah Brugler from University of Tasmania spoke about the necessity of working with different landholders, especially farmers, and leveraging new tools, like carbon and nature markets, to get us to 30x30. 'OECMs' might be another valuable tool to get us there; but as James Fitzsimons from The Nature Conservancy in Australia pointed out, these need to have integrity, and not just be 'protected ares lite'. ✨ Creative solutions are all around us. Nigel Sharp, founder of the Odonata Foundation, talked about how this not-for-profit is bringing Australian species back from the brink of extinction, at the same time as supporting primary production and Indigenous land management. In 2027 the next ILCN congress will be hosted in Melbourne, Australia. I can't wait to keep the conversations and hard work going across this time; and to be a part of the crew that will deliver the next important instalment of this global gathering. Meanwhile, thank you so much to the Australian delegation - you're all legends - including those mentioned above and also Victoria Marles AM, Doug Humann AM, Gareth Catt, Daniel Oades, Clare Cannon, Michael Cornish, Phoebe Pace, Alex Maisey and Vikki Parsley 🙏💚🙏 https://lnkd.in/gZJeazsy #ilcn2024 #privatelandconservation #30x30 #solutionsfornature #australianconservation #leadership