We protect the foundation of life on Earth – wilderness.

CONTINENTAL PROTECTIONS: The North American Wilderness and Protected Area Agreement

The natural boundaries of wildlands do not fall easily within political borders. Many species migrate across continents – effectively protecting them requires coordination across national boundaries. This is the rationale behind the North American Wilderness and Protected Area Agreement, (NAWPA) born during WILD9 at the request of North American land management agencies. NAWPA continues to coordinate, meeting annually, for more effective conservation land management.

ASIAN WILDERNESS: Introducing the wilderness idea to Asia

WILD6 elevated wilderness in the institutional agendas of Asian land management agencies, introducing the concept of “protected wilderness status” – places where nature is left alone to fulfill its destiny – where no such concept had previously existed. By starting the wilderness conversation with these agencies, WILD6 structured previously-unforeseen opportunities for the protection of wild places.

WILDERNESS & INDIGENOUS USE: Sustainably managing polar wilderness with local communities

WILD5 united the protection of wilderness with the protection of traditional Arctic culture, paving the way for new dialogue and policies that simultaneously protect the rights of nature and the Indigenous Peoples who have sustainably stewarded the environment for millennia.

CONSERVATION FINANCE: New tools for the protection of wildlife and wild places

WILD4 proposed the establishment of a world conservation bank, the first call for new conservation finance mechanisms. This eventually culminated in the establishment of the World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility, which has since contributed billions of dollars of investment in the environment.