1
REPORT OF THE SIERRA CLUB DELEGATION AT
THE 2016 IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS.
Prepared by Richard Cellarius
Head, Sierra Club Delegation
October 27, 2016
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in which Sierra Club has been a
member continuously since 1956, held its Sixth World Conservation Congress in the Honolulu,
HI, Convention Center, 1-10 September 2016. This Congress’ Theme was “Planet at the
crossroads” with the objective, “help define the path to a sustainable future” (see
http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org/sites/default/files/content/documents/congre
ss_theme_final.pdf). It was the first time the Congress has been held in the United States, and it
was the best attended Congress on record, with over 10,000 participants from 192 countries,
including representatives of IUCN’s 223 State and Governmental Agency members, 1120
International and National Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) members and 50 non-
voting Affiliate members.
The Congress was structured into two main components:
The Forum (2-5 September) provided an opportunity to discuss the world’s most
pressing conservation and sustainability challenges. It included many different types of
events from high level dialogues to training workshops which explore the depths of
conservation and innovation. With a total of 1380 different events1, many occurring
simultaneously, it was impossible to cover all of them
The Members’ Assembly (6-10 September) is IUCN’s highest decision-making body—a
quadrennial “Annual General Meeting” (AGM). It included reports from IUCN’s leaders,
the IUCN Council—its Board of Directors—and IUCN’s six Commissions, comprising
volunteer experts that make up IUCN’s research and policy development arm. During
the Assembly, new Commission Mandates were adopted, over 100 Resolutions and
Recommendations were approved, and the President, Treasurer, Regional Councillors,
and Commission Chairs, who together comprise the IUCN Council for the next four
years, were elected.
These events were preceded by the Congress Opening Ceremony and IUCN Commission
meetings on 1 September. The Opening Ceremony was primarily a celebration of Hawai’ian
culture. The event was scheduled in a separate venue and at an earlier time of day because of
the need for enhanced security in anticipation of the participation of President Obama. Despite
these measures, the President and his handlers decided it was still not secure enough, and the
1 These included 57 Conservation Campus training sessions, 188 Knowledge Cafés (round-table discussions), 206
Workshops (facilitated presentations and discussions), 397 Pavilion Events (topical presentation), and 324 Posters
(e-posters on a set of video screens).
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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highlight speech was given in his stead by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. See the first 55
seconds of the video at https://www.doi.gov/video/this-week-interior-september-2-2016.
Members of the Club’s delegation participated actively in both the Forum and Members
Assembly. In addition, with the assistance of staff and volunteers of the Hawai’i Chapter,
primarily the Oahu Group, we maintained a booth in the Exhibition Hall to highlight Sierra Club
conservation programs and activities. The delegation was significantly larger than at past
Congresses, primarily because the 2016 Congress was in the US. Significantly, the delegation
included members from Sierra Club Canada, the Sierra Student Coalition, the Grassroots
Network Marine Action, Water Sentinels, and International Teams, two National Sierra Club
staff and three National Sierra Club officers. A list of the delegation members and Hawai’i
Chapter participants is in Appendix 1 of this report. We are grateful for the overall support of
the Hawai’i Chapter before and during the Congress. Also, major funding for the delegation was
provided from the International Committee Granting Fund of The Sierra Club Foundation.
We were particularly fortunate to have Liz Walsh, Sierra Club Treasurer, and Roberta Brashear-
Kaulfers, Sierra Club Council of Club Leaders Chair, as members of the Club’s delegation and
participants in the Congress Forum, although they were not able to participate in the Members
Assembly due to schedule conflicts with the Board of Directors, Council, and Annual Meetings.
During the Forum, members of our delegation presented or helped present the following
events:
Exploration and enjoyment of nature enhances societal benefits and promotes wilderness
conservation (Knowledge Café)
Forest management certification – Evaluating impacts (Knowledge Café)
Youth in Dialogue: Visions for Gender-Just Alternatives in Climate and Conservation (Knowledge
Café)
Sierra Club Water Sentinels Protect our Waters (Poster)
Retrospective Review of "Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living" (Poster)
Biodiversity in Voluntary Certification Standards and Labels (food, tourism, forestry, fisheries,
mining): Impacts on biodiversity and livelihoods. (Workshop)
Successful campaigns led by Indigenous Peoples for the restoration of waterways - new partners,
new approaches (Knowledge Café)
Alternative Futures for Ecological Civilizations (Knowledge Café)
An overview of issues related to impacts of fracking on biodiversity and the environment. (Poster)
Reproductive Health and Conservation: Stories of integrated conservation and women’s health from
Guatemala and Uganda (Poster)
Certification and Biodiversity - How Voluntary Certification Standards impact biodiversity and human
livelihoods - CEESP Policy Matters Launch (Pavilion Event)
An expanded list of these events, with links to the IUCN WCC website is in Appendix 2. In
addition, Appendix 4 includes reports from the members of the delegation on their
participation and perspectives on the Congress.
At each Congress, the Members Assembly adopts the IUCN Programme for the next four years,
which outlines the goals and objective for IUCN’s work. While primarily focusing on the work of
the IUCN Secretariat—the Global IUCN staff in Switzerland and regional and country offices
around the world, it also pertains to the work of the Commissions, each with its own specific
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Mandate adopted by the Assembly, and the work of IUCN members as well in the context of
IUCN’s “One Programme Charter.”
The 2017-2020 Programme is composed of the same three overarching priority areas as
outlined in the 2012-2016 Programme, updated to reflect past accomplishments and the
recognition of new and increased challenges:
• Valuing and conserving nature enhances IUCN’s heartland work on biodiversity conservation,
emphasising both tangible and intangible values of nature.
• Effective and equitable governance of nature’s use consolidates IUCN’s work on people-nature relations,
rights and responsibilities, and the political economy of nature.
• Deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges expands IUCN’s work on nature’s contribution to
tackling problems of sustainable development, particularly in climate change, food security and social and
economic development.
The implementation of the IUCN programme is clearly consistent with Sierra Club Purposes and
policies. Sierra Club membership in IUCN and our members’ participation in its activities
through our IUCN membership promotes them in an international context.
The final text of the IUCN Programme 2017-2020 is available at
https://www.iucn.org/secretariat/about/programme-work-and-reporting/programme.
As noted above, a significant portion of the work of the Members Assembly was the discussion
and adoption of motions submitted by the IUCN Members and the IUCN Council. A new feature
of the motions process this year was the incorporation of an on-line discussion of the proposed
motions, including suggested amendments; following a two-stage discussion, there was an on-
line vote of the revised texts of those motions that were generally agreed upon during the
discussion. The degree of participation by the membership in the discussion was impressive,
with many motions’ text being significantly improved. Often the discussion could best be
characterized as a debate, with strong positions articulated on each side of an issue.
Out of 98 motions submitted in advance of the deadline, 85 were put to the electronic, on-line
vote, including some with amendments also to be voted on as well. All 85 were adopted, again
some with adopted amendments, mostly with overwhelming majorities of both the NGO and
government categories of members. It takes a majority of each category to adopt a motion.
Those motions, for which the on-line discussion resulted in clear disagreements or which had
been identified by the Motions Working Group or IUCN Council as needing more in-person
review, were referred to the Members Assembly for additional discussion and vote. In addition,
a few motions were submitted directly to the assembly on issues that had arisen after the
motion submission’s February deadline.
During the past IUCN International Assemblies and World Conservation Congresses, Sierra Club
developed a reputation as being an important sponsor or co-sponsor of motions. This year was
no different. We submitted one motion, “Recognising the Centennial of the US National Park
Service,” with seven international (non-US) co-sponsors, and in addition, usually on request of
the primary sponsor or developer of the motion, Sierra Club co-sponsored fifteen additional
motions. A full list of Sierra Club sponsored and co-sponsored Resolutions and
Recommendations is in Appendix 3, with links to the final text and vote record. In addition, the
full final text of all the adopted motions is available on the IUCN website at
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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https://portals.iucn.org/congress/assembly/motions; they will be reorganized as Resolutions
and Recommendations and published in the outcomes section of the World Conservation
Congress website.
These adopted Resolutions and Recommendations, essentially additions to IUCN policy, dealt
with many of the issues typical of past Congresses: increased protection of endangered and
threatened species; increased protection for wildlands and protected areas, both terrestrial—
including “ancient forests”—and marine; and general conservation policy and law. Virtually all
of these Resolutions and Recommendations, just like the IUCN Programme, are relevant to
Sierra Club Purposes and policies, and promote them in both in the US and international
arenas.
Sierra Club supported two additional efforts that ultimately were not accepted by the Congress.
One was a motion, “Conservation in the South China Sea,” which asked for a study towards the
establishment of marine protected areas in the South China Sea as well as suspension of
exploitation of natural resources and prospecting pending the outcome of the study. The
motion was never considered on the basis it did not meet the criteria of being a new issue. The
second was a proposal to amend the IUCN Programme to include work on energy conservation
and renewable energy sources. It was rejected on the basis that IUCN did not have adequate
expertise in this area.
In addition to the Resolutions and Recommendations, several amendments to the IUCN
Statutes and Regulations were adopted. One of the most significant of these governance
changes created a new category of membership in IUCN in addition to the States and national
governmental agencies—Category A—and national and international Non-Governmental
Organisations—Category B. The new category—Category C—Indigenous Peoples’
Organisations, is defined as “institutions and associations established by indigenous peoples for
the advancement of indigenous communities.” Another proposed change, to include local and
regional governments, particularly those agencies working in areas relevant to IUCN, as
members in Category A, was not adopted as such; however, the IUCN Council was asked to
establish a working group with the charge “to analyze the need and effects, develop a clear
definition of regional government, and formulate a comprehensive and well considered new
recommendation for the next Congress.”
As Head of the Sierra Club delegation, I was privileged to have the responsibility of casting the
Sierra Club’s two votes as an International NGO member of IUCN. I regularly consulted with
other members of the delegation to confirm that I made the correct choices.
As early as the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea, Steve
Montgomery and other Chapter leaders were working with the Hawaii state government and
other state leaders to promote Hawai’i as the site the 2016 Congress. Through Steve’s efforts,
we were also able to get Club support for the Hawai’i site of the Congress. Doris Cellarius and I
were privileged to participate in meetings with the IUCN delegation during their site visit to
Hawai’i in 2014. Through Steve’s efforts, we were also able to get Club support for the Hawai’i
site of the Congress. Steve received a Special Achievement Award in 2014 for his efforts.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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During the past few years, a group of IUCN members in the United States has been discussing
the formation of an IUCN US National Committee. At one time in the past, the American
Committee for International Conservation (ACIC) filled a similar, but unofficial role in the IUCN
context. I believe that Mike McCloskey and Brock Evans served terms as chair of the ACIC. ACIC
unfortunately disappeared with the creation for the IUCN-US office in Washington, DC.
Ted Trzyna, Nick Robinson, and I have all promoted the idea of a US National Committee in the
past, but we have not been able to generate a great deal of interest. However, the discussion
has become more active in the past year, particularly with the support of the IUCN-US office
and John Robinson, US IUCN Regional Councillor, with additional involvement of other IUCN US
Members. At the Honolulu Congress, it was reported that now about 60% of US members
support the proposal for establishing a US National Committee. The formal proposal
accompanies this report as a separate document. In particular, it outlines the major roles the
Committee would have:
1. A platform for dialogue and information exchange: provide a key channel for communications and
networking between IUCN Members, Commissions and the Secretariat to learn about the IUCN Programs
and for Members to share domestic and international programs and initiatives.
2. A communications platform: a forum to discuss and strengthen responses to major domestic and
international conservation issues as well as an opportunity to build a consortium of Members as a
collective voice on issues of importance.
3. A voice within IUCN: developing and proposing Motions to WCC from U.S. Members. Also, a venue to
discuss Motions and proposed candidates for election to IUCN Council.
I am not sure what the timing for the next steps in organization will be, but the US members
will need to establish a chair and executive committee and be recognized by the IUCN Council
as an official National Committee of IUCN. I believe this Committee will be a major benefit to
the Sierra Club as an opportunity to promote and share its objectives more visibly in an
international context.
Separately, but a bit related to the National Committee proposal, I had a number of
conversations with Michael D. Wilson, a Justice of the Hawaii state Supreme Court, who served
as Elections Officer for the Congress. Justice Wilson is an avid conservationist, and in that
context, he suggested that there should be a major meeting of the US environmental
organizations to develop and present a unified, comprehensive front on how the US should deal
with the threat of global warming and global climate chaos. Such a conference could meet early
next Spring, with Sierra Club, and NRDC et al. as major conveners. I expect to receive a more
detailed proposal from Justice Wilson, I will share it with Club leadership.
Overall, the Sierra Club delegation had an effective role in the IUCN 2016 World Conservation
Congress and in the discussions leading up to it. We were frequently consulted by other IUCN
members and the IUCN Secretariat for our advice. Over the years, Sierra Club delegations and
our members have had a major impact on IUCN, including with several of our volunteers
serving as Chairs or Deputy Chairs of IUCN Commissions and/or participating in projects of the
IUCN Secretariat. A list of all the Sierra Club delegations since 1958 will be found in Appendix 5.
We were proud to continue this tradition at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in
Honolulu, and hope it will continue into the future.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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IUCN World Conservation Congress Photos
Sierra Club Delegation 1: L-R (front) A.Tiana Scozzaro,
Jennifer Olson, Joy Leilei Shih; (Back) Sheila Sarhangi,
Natalie Lucas, Roberta Brashear-Kaulfers, Liz Walsh,
Christine Elwell, Richard Cellarius, Nick Robinson
Sierra Club Delegation 2, L-R: Doug Fetterly, Natalie Lucas,
Doris Cellarius, Dave Raney, Richard Cellarius, Christine
Elwell.
Sierra Club booth with Steve Montgomery, Marti
Townsend, Jodi Malinoski, Miho Aida
Sierra Club booth in WCC Exhibition Hall
Members Assembly Session. Sitting L-R: Dave Raney,
Richard Cellarius, Doug Fetterly; Standing R: Nick Robinson Knowledge Café. Center Left: Doris Cellarius, Doug Fetterly
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Appendix 1
Members of Sierra Club Delegation at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress
Richard Cellarius, Head of Sierra Club
Delegation, International Vice President;
Honorary Vice President, Chair,
International Team
Doris Cellarius, Water Sentinels, Toxics, Forest
Certification Teams
Christine Elwell (Toronto, Canada), Sierra Club
Canada representative.
Doug Fetterly (Hawai’i), Marine Action Team
Chair
Natalie Lucas, Co-Chair Sierra Student Coalition
International Committee
Steven Lee Montgomery (Hawai’i), Hawai’i
Chapter Executive Committee member
Jessica Olson, Associate Campaign
Representative, Sierra Club
Dave Raney (Hawai’i), Marine Action Team
A.Tiana Scozzaro, Director, Global Gender,
Population & Environment Program, Sierra
Club
Liz Walsh, Sierra Club Treasurer and Chief
Financial Officer
Roberta Brashear-Kaulfers (Hawai’i), Chair,
Council of Club Leaders
Nicholas Robinson, Honorary Vice President,
Founding Chair, International Committee
Marti Townsend (Hawai’i), Hawai’i Chapter
Director
Miho Aida (Hawai’i), Hawai’i Chapter Volunteer
Kirsten Fujitani (Hawai’i), Hawai’i Chapter
Communications Coordinator
Joy Leilei Shih (Hawai’i), PhD Candidate,
Oceanography, University of Hawaiʻi at
Mānoa, Hawai’i Chapter volunteer.
The Sierra Club Exhibition booth was set up by
Martha Townsend, staff, and local volunteers
Chuck Burrows
Randy Ching
Kirsten Fujitani
Bob Keane
Steven Montgomery
Fred Naganuma
Joshua Noga
Jim Shon
Jamie Tanino
And
Jessica Olson
A.Tianna Scozzaro
Roberta Brashear-Kaulfers
Doug Fetterly
Also participating in the Congress:
Sheila Sarhangi, Hawai’i Chapter ExCom member and lead advocate on the Expand Papahānaumokuākea
Marine National Monument [PMNM] campaign.
Ted Trzyna, former Chair of the Sierra Club International Committee
Michael Paparian, former Director, Sierra Club California Sacramento Office.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Appendix 2
Congress Forum Events Organized by Members of the Sierra Club Delegation
Session ID Title
Organizer [O]/
Major Participant [P]
Participating
Organizer[PO]
Session type
#WCC_9742 Exploration and enjoyment of nature enhances societal
benefits and promotes wilderness conservation
Joy Leilei Shih [O],
Sierra Club Hawai’i
Liz Walsh [P], Roberta
Brashear-Kaulfers [P]
Knowledge
Café
#WCC_9770 Forest management certification – Evaluating impacts Doris Cellarius [PO] Knowledge
Café
#WCC_9807 Youth in Dialogue: Visions for Gender-Just Alternatives in
Climate and Conservation Jessica Olson [O]
Knowledge
Café
#WCC_9895 Sierra Club Water Sentinels Protect our Waters Doris Cellarius [O] Poster
#WCC_9897 Retrospective Review of "Caring for the Earth: A Strategy
for Sustainable Living" Richard Cellarius [O] Poster
#WCC_10235
Biodiversity in Voluntary Certification Standards and
Labels (food, tourism, forestry, fisheries, mining): Impacts
on biodiversity and livelihoods.
Doris Cellarius [PO] Workshop
#WCC_10349 Successful campaigns led by Indigenous Peoples for the
restoration of waterways - new partners, new approaches Doris Cellarius [O]
Knowledge
Café
#WCC_10356 Alternative Futures for Ecological Civilizations Richard Cellarius [O] Knowledge
Café
#WCC_10478 An overview of issues related to impacts of fracking on
biodiversity and the environment. Doris Cellarius [O] Poster
#WCC_10560
Reproductive Health and Conservation: Stories of
integrated conservation and women’s health from
Guatemala and Uganda
A.Tianna Scozzaro [O] Poster
#WCC_12153
Certification and Biodiversity - How Voluntary
Certification Standards impact biodiversity and human
livelihoods - CEESP Policy Matters Launch
Doris Cellarius [P] Pavilion
Event
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Appendix 3
Sierra Club Proposed and Co-Sponsored Resolutions and Recommendations
Adopted by the IUCN 2016 World Conservation Congress Members Assembly*
Proposed by Sierra Club:
027 Recognising the Centennial of the US National Park Service
Cosponsored by Sierra Club:
001 Identifying and archiving obsolete Resolutions and Recommendations to strengthen
IUCN policy and to enhance implementation of IUCN Resolutions
007 Closure of Domestic Markets for Elephant Ivory
011 Greater protection needed for all pangolin species
026 Protected areas, and other areas important for biodiversity, in relation to
environmentally damaging industrial activities and infrastructure development.
028 Incorporating urban dimensions of conservation into the work of IUCN
048 Protection of primary forests and intact forest landscapes
051 International biofouling
057 Protecting the world’s greatest salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska from large-scale
mining
060 Pacific region climate resiliency action plan
072 Aloha+ Challenge Model for Sustainable Development
083 Affirmation of the role of indigenous cultures in global conservation efforts
085 Environmental courts and tribunals
097 Safeguarding indigenous lands, territories and resources from unsustainable
developments
098 Energy efficiency and renewable energy to promote the conservation of nature
* ID numbers and URLs will probably change as they are categorized as Resolutions or Recommendations.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Appendix 4
Reports from Members of the Sierra Club’s Delegation Regarding
Their Activities at the IUCN 2016 World Conservation Congress
Report on Richard Cellarius’ activities at the IUCN 2016 World Conservation Congress:
I completed my leadership role as Deputy Chair (4 years) and Financial Officer (8 years) of the IUCN Commission on
Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP) by participating in the Commission Steering Committee
meeting and the full Commission meeting before the Congress opening. I was disappointed that my two Forum
presentations, a poster on Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living and a Knowledge Café,
“Alternative Futures for Ecological Civilizations,” did not attract many attendees, even though they were focused
on a major Congress objective “help define the path to a sustainable future,” as described in the following
paragraph from the Congress Theme:
There is, however, an emerging viable alternative [to the pessimistic view of our future]—one that embraces the reality
that we live in a world of complex, interdependent systems and acknowledges that changes to these systems can either
enhance resilience or result in greater instability and uncertainty. This alternative future has been given expression by the
international community through various declarations, including The World Charter for Nature, Agenda 21, The Earth
Charter, and the U.N. General Assembly resolutions on Harmony with Nature. Collectively, they point to the need for
profound transformations in our patterns of production and consumption, and recognition that every form of life has value
regardless of its worth to human beings.
Much of my time during the Congress, as head of the Club’s delegation, was spent considering Sierra Club positions
on motions, motion amendments, proposed changes to the IUCN Global Programme, and candidates for the IUCN
Council, contributing once again to the Club’s reputation as an important and contributing member of IUCN.
**********
Doris' [Cellarius] Report on the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii
I helped develop and spoke during several events. Two centered on the topic of “voluntary certification”. As a
member of IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy I spoke during our workshop
“Biodiversity in Voluntary Certification Standards” (https://portals.iucn.org/congress/session/10235) and also at
the launch an issue of a new issue of IUCN journal, “Certification and Biodiversity: How Voluntary Certification
Standards Impact Biodiversity and Human Livelihoods”.
The two E-Posters I created and talked about were available on the main floor of the Congress for all 10 days.
One, “Global Responses to Environmental Harm from Fracking”, was created at the request of IUCN’s Business
Program. I was pleased to respond to questions on fracking from people from Mexico and Panama by sending
them Sierra Club information, some of which was fortunately in Spanish. In discussing my Water Sentinels E-
poster (http://iucncongress.ipostersessions.com/?s=83-0F-FC-D6-7C-A9-43-EB-66-81-4B-B7-B5-F8-BF-BD) I met a
Hawai’i Chapter leader who wants to start a Water Sentinels program in Hawaii.
I was the lead organizer of a Knowledge Café “Successful campaigns led by Indigenous Peoples for the restoration
of waterways - new partners, new approaches”. It was inspired by what I learned when I collected information for
our report on what Sierra Club Chapters do on water issues. The discussion was well attended, with “standing
room only” in the outer circle. Indigenous Hawaiian leader and Earth Justice lawyer Kapua Sproat, and Maori
leader Tuku Morgan, presented on the work of indigenous people in their respective countries and then there was
lively discussion with many questions. It was a wonderful topic for this Congress as water and indigenous rights
were discussed frequently. During the discussion I handed out the last remaining copies of the Sierra Club
Factsheet “Consumer Products Threaten Aquatic Life”.
As a member of the Sierra Club’s Forest Stewardship Team I helped organize and spoke at a two-hour
presentation: “Forest Stewardship – Evaluating Impacts.”
In addition to scheduled events I participated in “contact sessions” which discussed motions that were voted on
either “on-line” or at the end of the Congress. Some of the issues addressed were Peatlands, Pangolin Protection,
Synthetic Biology, and Palm Oil Plantations.
Doris
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Richard, hi,
Attending IUCN provided quite a number of key conservation benefits, as follows:
• Every organization that attends adds strength to this conference, telling the global community that the
world (not just a few organizations) is behind conservation.
• The workshops covered virtually every conservation concern, thereby expanding the knowledge base, the
conservationists’ ability to forward, to campaign for the conservation messages.
• The networking was invaluable, expanding our sphere of influence and the conservation community’s
connectivity.
• The Sierra Club booth was attended by an ongoing procession of folk stopping by to inquire, to discuss.
• The Sierra Club’s Richard Cellarius made comments at various times during the business meetings (those
comments heard by 166 countries, 1,600 delegates)
Among the many people I networked with, were:
• I had a delightful stroll and conversation with Sylvia Earle, PhD, about the Hope Spots she promotes
• David Helvarg, founder and president of the Blue Frontier Campaign (we attended his highly successful
Blue Vision Summit in D.C. last year)
• Stuart Coleman, SurfRider Foundation Coordinator for Hawai’i
• Richard Cellarius, International Vice President--Organizational Relations, Sierra Club
• Doris Cellarius, Water Sentinels, Sierra Club
• Heather George, Waterkeeper Alliance
• Charlotte Vick, Director of Engagement for Mission Blue—The Sylvia Earle Alliance
• Sarah Pautzke, National Ocean Policy Pacific Island Regional Planning Body Coordinator
• Truly a host of others
I did not produce any events, but I attended quite a number throughout the conference. As follows:
• National Committee reports (to gain familiarity with IUCN: reports from Senegal, Spain, South America,
Canada, Caribbean, West Asia, Oceania, Africa, and many more.
• Report by Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
• National Geographic presentation
• Republic of Korea presentation
• E. O. Wilson (considered father of sociobiology)
• Bycatch forum
• Living Shorelines
• Innovation in Protecting Marine Ecosystems and Managing Fisheries & tourism, Coral Triangle
• IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
• Dr. Jane Goodall: Conservation—Empowering the next generation
• U.S. Pavilion on fisheries, climate change, aquaculture
• Panel with Jane Goodall, Anne Walton formerly of NOAA, John Jarvis National Parks Service Director
• Ocean planning: Anne Walton, Sarah Pautzke, Mark Mitsuyasu Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council
• Women and Sustainability: a Sierra Club shared workshop
• Communications - David Helvarg, Stuart Coleman
• Ocean conservation: Alan Friedlander, Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, and others
• Business meetings, including: voting, presentations, deliberations, IUCN planning for the next four years
Doug Fetterly
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Aloha Richard,
The following is a brief report of my experiences, which I found extremely valuable, at the IUCN World
Conservation Congress (WCC) held in Honolulu, Hawai‘i September 1-10, 2016. I greatly appreciate the opportunity
to have participated in both the WCC Forum and Assembly events as an official member of the Sierra Club
delegation.
WCC Workshops, High Level Events, Knowledge Cafes and other types of Forum events I participated in:
WCC Event
Code
Date Comments
9649 Living Shorelines on Tropical Islands 9/2/16 re: adaptation strategies for climate
change adaptation to sea level rise.
9735 Young Leaders of Pacific 9/2/16 Inter-generational outreach
10205 Ecosystems Based Adaptation 9/3/16 re: adaptation strategies for climate
change adaptation
12216 Incorporating Climate Change
Adaptation into Agency Level
Planning
9/3/16 re: adaptation strategies for climate
change adaptation to sea level rise
13827 Empowering Next Generations 9/3/16 Inter-generational outreach
103013 Ocean Planning for Pacific Islands 9/3/16 Relevant to implementation of marine
special planning element of National
Ocean Policy
9682 WCPA/SSC 9/4/16 Marine protected areas/WCPA Young
Professionals outreach
9659 Why Crossroads calls for relentless
leadership
9/4/16 Inter-generational outreach
11364 Learning and educational tools for
ecosystem-based disaster risk
reduction and resiliency building
9/4/16
re: adaptation strategies for climate
change adaptation to sea level rise
9695 Inter-Generational Climate Justice
Moot Court
9/5/16 World Commission on Environmental
Law event
10238 Scaling Up Nature-Based Solutions for
Adaptation and Building Resistance
9/5/16 re: adaptation strategies for climate
change adaptation to sea level rise
In addition to the Forum events I attended, and the exhibits I visited, I participated in the September 6-10 IUCN
Assembly events, primarily in observer status as an official member of the Sierra Club’s IUCN delegate. I also
participated in one of the Contact Groups working on final language for Motion 309 relating to the IUCN response
to the Paris climate change agreement, and conferred with you and Doris on Sierra Club’s votes for candidates to
the various categories of IUCN leadership, e.g. regional and subject matter Commissions.
I also am working with members of the IUCN World Commission Young Professionals who are conducting a series
of Earth Works, Arts & Music Tour events on the island of Oahu September 12-22. This is my introduction to the
inter-generational partnerships IUCN promotes. The Hawai‘i Sierra Club has also helped set up Tour events, with a
very good focus on Hawaiian culture as well as ecological issues (referred to as bio-cultural events) at various
locations across the island.
Overall I found the entire process of engaging in the WCC, beginning with participation in the IUCN regional
meeting in San Francisco last September, to be very enlightening and inspiring. For most of my time as a volunteer
with Sierra Club I have focused on domestic environmental issues, though as a member of the U.S. Coral Reef Task
Force, I participated in meetings that included U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands such as the Palau and the Federated
States of Micronesia. Due in part, perhaps, to the fact that this WCC took place on a Pacific island, this WCC had a
strong emphasis on conservation issues related to oceans and islands—issues that are particularly relevant to our
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
13
Grassroots Network Marine Action Team (MAT). I appreciate the global perspective the IUCN provides for issues I
have been following from a more limited viewpoint.
Development of Climate change adaptation strategies for Sierra Club coastal Groups and Chapters, especially
adaptation to sea level rise, is one of the MAT’s major areas of focus. The WCC Forum had many relevant
workshops or other events on this topic, and the need to address climate change, both mitigation and adaptation,
was a major element of the theme of Planet at a Crossroads. The workshops on Ecosystems-based Adaptation and
Ecosystems-based Disaster Risk Reduction were especially relevant, as was the recognition of the need to combine
these two approaches to most coastal adaptation scenarios. Related workshops on Living Shorelines and the
overall IUCN approach of Nature-based solutions also provided helpful conceptual frameworks and possible tools.
As you saw from the list of my Forum activities I attended, many of them were on the general theme of climate
change adaptation.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this milestone event. I am still absorbing lessons from it, as I
expect I will for years to come.
Aloha,
Dave [Raney]
**********
Hi Richard,
[At the Sierra Club booth,] 800 We Are the Arctic campaign postcards were filled out in a course of 10 days.
I had parallel event to screen my film outside of the congress. Roughly 250 youth and 150 adults saw the film.
I participated in Women's caucus many mornings and one knowledge café and one day dedicated to Okinawa's
issue.
Thanks!
Miho [Aida]
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Richard,
I attended the full two weeks of the IUCN conference. During the first week I went to conference presentations
related to climate change adaptation, forests and deforestation, nature based solutions, and how environment can
be protected during times of conflict. I learned a lot about how the international community is working to protect
natural areas. There was a lot of discussion about how we, as a conservation movement, need to branch out to
new groups and work in new collaborative ways to make a larger impact. There was also an interesting dynamic
between local and global problems. The global discussions focused on climate change, ocean pollution, and
extinction of certain species. The solutions to these problems included lofty policies, bans on certain products, and
resolutions to act on them. I appreciated talking about the local solutions more. These discussions were more
nuanced and focused on the intersection between the environment and people. I think we do not talk about
people enough when it comes to environmental issues, and that is critical.
During the second week of the conference, the IUCN Members Assembly discussed the motions that could not be
agreed upon during the online forum. Each Sierra Club member took a motion to follow and contribute to so that
they could be voted on during the member's assembly. I followed Motion 59, which was the IUCN response to the
Paris Agreement. Since I have been going to the COPs as part of the Sierra Club delegation for the past four years, I
was able to contribute to the discussions about this motion. It was interesting to be part of this process, and it was
good to learn about how decisions get made by an international body such as this.
I think it is important for the Sierra Club to be part of the IUCN because of the decisions that are made to protect
certain ecosystems and species. Since we are a premier environmental organization, and we have been so effective
at protecting lands, air, and water it is important to offer our perspectives in these international spaces.
Additionally, the IUCN has a very strong force in international spaces. I do think we could have been more effective
at this conference if we had more calls and strategized about what we would be doing at the conference. It would
have been good to also have a call to frame the motion process, and how the conference would function. I would
have been more effective then.
I also think it would have been beneficial for us to have met more while at the conference. I am not sure I even
met all of our delegates. It would have given us a good opportunity to connect and talk about how we could be
more effective in this process, not only at this conference, but between conferences as well.
Thanks,
Natalie [Lucas]
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Hi Richard, All,
This is my report. I had the pleasure of representing Sierra Club Canada on the SC delegation to the IUCN Congress
in Hawaii. I have been inspired to suggest a fundraising campaign about the Arctic to the Leonardo DiCaprio
Foundation that was active at the Congress, see below.
I had three main areas of involvement. First I attended most of the Law Commission programing and thanks to Nick
Robinson I met many members of the WELC. I intend to joint that list serv. I was particularly interested to learn
about the factors in establishing specialized environmental courts and may try to apply them here in Ontario.
The second area was to counter my government's opposition to motion 41conditioning biodiversity offsets w no go
areas as set out in Motion 26.
The third main area of engagement was to regularly staff the SC Booth. The new SC banner and logo looked great.
The best part was to get to know members of SC Hawaii Chapter. I was invited to attend both a local fundraiser
that was really fun as well as a film screening on the ANWR.
Binational Fundraising idea
The film and the post card campaign asking President Obama to do everything possible to protect the ANWR made
it clear we can never fully protect the costal plain unless both the US and Canadian governments are committed to
it.
The coastal plain is the birthing and nursing ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, on which the Gwich’in people
who are native to this region have depended for millennia. In their language, they call this land “The Sacred Place
Where Life Begins.” Since 1986, this area has been threatened by oil and gas development on both sides of the
border and as Doris recently pointed out, by mining on the Canadian side.. In this short film, Gwich’in women
speak out for their sacred land and inspire audiences around the world to action. www.mihoaida.com/gwichin.
The Gwich'in people and porcupine caribou freely cross the border. The Hawaiian Chapter, especially through the
long term effort of Steve Montgomery, has a good relationship with the local communities there.
SC already has an Arctic campaign. The Wild America carries on the Sierra Club's long legacy of protecting
America's beautiful wildlands and is doubling down in the fight to preserve our wild heritage in the face of threats
from mining, drilling, and climate disruption. http://content.sierraclub.org/ourwildamerica/ . I believe Rob Mo is
an organizer for the Sierra Club's Our Wild America Campaign.
Given SC and SCC's successful experience with binational advocacy at the Great Lakes another shared resource, it
seems natural that we try to duplicate that effort in the Arctic. See this map:
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was active at the Congress and has an interest in the Arctic see
http://leonardodicaprio.org
In fact, a campaign to ensure the binational protection of the Arctic coastal plain touches on 5 of their 6 focus
areas. LDF's grantmaking program encompasses six focus areas:
Wildland Conservation, Marine Conservation, Indigenous Rights, Climate Change, Innovative Solutions,
[Public Advocacy]
If this is a project of interest, please let me know how we might proceed.
Aloha, Christine
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Memorandum:
TO: Richard A. Cellarius, Ph.D.
FROM: Steven Lee Montgomery, Ph. D. Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter DATE: September 26, 2016
SUBJECT: activities IUCN World Conservation Congress, Hawai'i Convention Center
What seemed so audacious an idea 8 years ago was forged into a landmark event as the USA hosted its first World
Conservation Congress for IUCN in Honolulu. The opening & closing ceremonies were inspiring orations by Hawaii
leaders Senator Brian Schatz, Gov. David Ige and IUCN Officers. Of the 8 years, Chipper Wichman, Director of
NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN on Kauai recapped the voyage: "hundreds of people have put their
hearts into winning a competition starting with eight powerful locations around the world, an amazing
accomplishment for a taro-roots effort with our partners." We were able to see former Gov. Neil Abercrombie in
the lobby photo display as Susan Middleton gave him her rare flora portrait Sept. 10 as we thanked him for setting
the WCC bid USA in motion.
Hawaiian Trisha Kehaulani Watson of IUCN's Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP)
and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) blogged on behalf of many fellow islanders:
"Our inspiration continues to grow from our environment Scientific data lies thoroughly embedded in our
expressions of cultural knowledge, whether in song, story, dance or other forms. This existing traditional ecological
knowledge of Hawaiians developed from thousands of years of prosperous living on the islands free from outside
influence. Extending far beyond cultural heritage, our knowledge includes complex understandings of evolutionary
biology, watershed health, agriculture aquaculture and resource management that allowed over one million
people to sustainably reside in Hawai'i. It is a model of sustainability that we continue to find ways to perpetuate -
for our children's sake and for our planet's survival.
Hawai'i, as an island, is a microcosm of the planet. We have seen our island communities struggle, realizing our
resources are fraught with fragility and challenges. We understand the need to protect critically endangered
species, such as the Hawaiian monk seal, as Hawai'i remains the site of some of the most diverse and threatened
ecosystems on the planet. It is called the 'endangered species capital of the world', yet these tiny islands just
passed the broadest wildlife trafficking ban in the nation. … We are a small population that fights so hard to
protect our beautiful home, because we know loss and we want to stop the loss from continuing. We understand it
is essential to find ways to transform fear into faith - to turn loss into love and hope."
Daily, I attended and regularly sought more volunteer help at the SC Booth from Hawaii Chapter. I attended 3 film
screenings of Gwich'in Women Speak [see www.mihoaida.com/gwichin] on the latest phase of a 25 year informal
alliance with Arctic First Nations' ANWR wilderness bill campaigns. We titled it: "Solidarity in Hawai'i with Native
Alaska/ Canada Subsistence Cultures to Protect the Public Arctic Wildlife Refuge."
Sierra Club of Hawaii & Cosponsors Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi /Hawaiians for the Conservation of Native
Ecosystems & Conservation Council for Hawaii, affiliate of National Wildlife Federation, set up the 3 side events
with the film on Gwich'in Women and post card campaign that asks President Obama "to do everything possible"
to protect the ANWR. We will rally support for a Binational Fundraising idea from Sierra Club Canada to keep oil in
the ground and caribou on their ground. The Sierra Clubs can team with INDIGENOUS RIGHTS movement to secure
the birthing and wintering grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd while we have Trudeau & Democrats leading
our nations.
I met with Hawaii's Senator Mazie Hirono and wrote again to confirm her support for the proposal to expand the
Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument just before the WCC. The Club and many allies like OHA's
Kamanopono Crabbe and Sol Kahoohalahala, lobbied the agencies and the White House's Council on
Environmental Quality so that a proclamation was drafted for the President to announce the largest marine
protected area to the world before IUCN met!
I attended the press event for the new Biosecurity Plan to find ways to implement the biocontrol of invasive
species sections.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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On the field day I helped Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi /Hawaiians for the Conservation of Native Ecosystems host 5
Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation members from Tehran, Iran, who had a booth by the SC's, on a tour of our
state's only Ramsar Wetland in Kailua. They have witnessed the adverse effects of unbridled development and
population growth in Iran, and with a profound appreciation for wildlife, have come together to safeguard of Iran's
delicate and scarred natural environment.
I took in the Russian Federation and Korean major displays to learn how these nations manage reserves. Since
WCC 2012 in Jeju, Korea has hosted 25,000 at a Biodiversity Conference of Parties and a 2015 Leaders' Forum with
1100 from 40 countries to build on the 2012 Dialog.
I attended the forum and press event of Central African Protected Areas Network (RAPAC), a membership based
organization operating to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in central Africa through
harmonization of policies and management tools and by providing a platform for exchange and support between
protected area managers and those wanting to develop or use natural resources and areas. RAPAC supports
countries in managing protected areas in Central Africa and have helped to strengthen Governments' awareness
on the need to protect biological resources. The new executive secretary of RAPAC said that its institutional
reforms seek to open up and widen the involvement of actors involved in the management of protected areas.
I promoted a celebration of the ban on illegal wildlife trafficking in Hawai'i, Act 125 - the broadest subnational
wildlife trafficking ban in the United States! [September 5, 1-2:30 pm] Co-Hosted by Vulcan, the Humane Society of
the United States, Global March for Elephants & Rhinos, NSEFU Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Conservation
Council for Hawai'i, and Sierra Club of Hawai'i.
At 147 locations around the globe, citizens marched to save elephants and rhinos from extinction. The marches
coincide with the opening on September 24 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Johannesburg, South Africa. We marched to demand that CITES, the world's
influential international wildlife trade organization, place rhinos, elephants, and lions on Appendix 1 to receive the
most protection, no trade at all.
At WCC, I was befriended by Dawud Mume Ali, Director General of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority,
and president of the African Elephant Protection Initiative, who wrote in support of Hawaii's march:
"Sound science and data provide evidence that in order to stop the killing, ivory markets must close. Poachers and ivory
traffickers are stealing Africa's heritage. The future of elephants is in our hands. Ivory belongs to elephants. Until we choke
off demand, the poachers won't stop killing!"
Our press release from Sierra Club of Hawaii said: "Hawaii has led in whale recovery & now must ally with Africans,
like Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu to help stop the killing of African elephants. The greatest threat to wild
elephant populations is poaching driven by demand for ivory products. As the third largest domestic market for
ivory in the United States, Hawaii is set to help close its market with a new local law only passed due to a national
push by the Club, Vulcan, & WCS.
"The United States is contributing to the poaching crisis by providing the second largest market in the world, after
China, for ivory." Ivory products encourage socially irresponsible spending, and illegal practices, so the trade in
ivory surely belongs in the past, just as sales of whale teeth & shark fins. Hawaii's hosting of the World
Conservation Congress for IUCN in Sept. gave us personal contacts from African front lines on solutions to this
global wildlife crisis to bring about the changes needed to save these species The Sierra Club is in solidarity to
establish a moratorium on the sale of elephant ivory to eliminate the enforcement challenges posed by the legal
ivory trade.
Protestors against ivory trade march to Honolulu Hale
September 25 2016
By HawaiiNewsNow Staff, HONOLULU [TV Channels 7 & 8 - aired multiple times]
About a dozen protestors took to the streets on Saturday to raise awareness about Hawaii's ivory trade. The Sierra Club,
along with concerned community members walked from the state capitol to Honolulu Hale. Organizers say the march to
protect elephants and rhinos was one of many around the world this weekend. The demonstration coincides with the
opening of an international convention on wildlife trade in South Africa. "Until China and America shut down their
markets, there's nothing we can do to stop our rangers from being murdered by poachers, there's nothing we can do to
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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protect the elephants unless you guys stop consuming this stuff, and that's why we're getting the message out, and that's
why we're marching today," said Steven Lee Montgomery, a Sierra Club volunteer. The Sierra Club says no ivory dealer in
Hawaii has been found to have proper documentation for ivory sales, which may put consumers at risk for federal
prosecution.
Copyright 2016 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
I was able to meet several Chinese IUCN members to talk about how we in Hawaii worked to have a USA WCC,
(since this change of DOS positions did not begin in D C) as they mulled options for a WCC 2020 in China. The
Shangri-la Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) is a registered independent Chinese nongovernmental
organization; in 1996 key staff members started work on nature conservation and community development
projects.
The Shan Shui Conservation Center is an NGO based in Beijing at Peking University where it was founded in 2007,
with support from Conservation International. Shan Shui means 'mountains and rivers' in Chinese, words that
convey an image of pristine scenery and nature, and it states that a wholesome natural ecological environment will
provide spiritual, cultural, economical and ecological safety for China and for the world in the long run, and that
local rural communities are the ultimate allies for nature conservation.
One booth was by Earth Day Network. Its main goal at the Congress was to generate enthusiasm about Earth Day's
upcoming 50th anniversary in 2020, highlighted #EarthDay50 and it asked people to join the next revolution. If the
WCC was any sign of how big Earth Day 2020 will be, it is building towards an unprecedented success.
Conservation thinking is becoming more mainstream, and global cooperation is bearing fruit when it comes to
tackling climate change and setting an agenda for sustainable development.
Steven Lee Montgomery, Ph. D.
Report of the Sierra Club 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress Delegation
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Appendix 5
Sierra Club Delegations to the IUCN International Assemblies and World Conservation Congresses.†
Year Location Delegation Members Year Location Delegation Members
GA 1 1948 Fontainebleau GA 17 1988 San José J.Michael McCloskey
GA 2 1950 Brussels Edgar Wayburn
GA 3 1952 Caracas Anita K. Yurchyshyn
GA 4 1954 Copenhagen Miss B. Willard GA 18 1990 Perth Richard Cellarius
GA 5 1956 Edinburgh Ira N. Gabrielson Edgar Wayburn
GA 6 1958 Athens W. P. Taylor J.Michael McCloskey
GA 7 1960 Warsaw Horace M. Albright Doris Cellarius
GA 8 1963 Nairobi Richard M. Leonard GA 19 1994 Buenos Aires J.Michael McCloskey
Pauline (JohnA.) Dyer WCC 1 1996 Montreal J.Michael McCloskey
GA 9 1966 Lucerne WCC 2 2000 Amman Richard Cellarius
GA 10 1969 New Delhi Bruce Hamilton
GA 11 1972 Banff Richard M. Leonard Steve Mills
Lawrence S. Hamilton Juli Abouchar
Patricia Romback (Scharlin) J.Michael McCloskey
George Treichel Doris Cellarius
Thaddeus (Ted) Trzyna WCC 3 2004 Bangkok Richard Cellarius
GA 12 1975 Kinshasa Patricia Romback (Scharlin) Doris Cellarius
GA 13 1977 Geneva J.Michael McCloskey Steve Mills
Patricia Romback (Scharlin) Jaye Ellis
Nicholas Robinson WCC 4 2008 Barcelona Richard Cellarius
Dumon Stansby Doris Cellarius
GA 14 1978 Ashkhabad Thaddeus (Ted) Trzyna Steve Mills
GA 15 1981 Christchurch Lawrence S. Hamilton WCC 5 2012 Jeju Richard Cellarius
J.Michael McCloskey Doris Cellarius
Patricia Scharlin WCC6 2016 Honolulu Richard Cellarius
J. Gary Taylor Doris Cellarius
Sanford Tepfer Christine Elwell
GA 16 1984 Madrid Joshua Dickinson Doug Fetterly
Lawrence S. Hamilton Natalie Lucas
J.Michael McCloskey Steve Montgomery
Patricia Scharlin Jessica Olson
J. Gary Taylor Dave Raney
Sanford S. Tepfer Nicholas Robinson
Anita K. Yurchyshyn A.Tianna Scozzaro
Edgar Wayburn Joy Leilei Shih
Sierra Club became a
member of IUCN in 1956
(extraordinary
session)
† Early delegations are listed as reported in the IUCN General Assembly Proceedings.