WILD

Since the first World Wilderness Congress (WWC) in 1977, each WWC has convened up to 3,000 delegates from nearly 75 nations with diverse participation and wide-reaching practical accomplishments for wild-nature.

Each Congress is a critical venues for education, training, networking, and information exchange across diverse groups. To build this global wilderness community, several WWC delegates have shared their personal experiences for the WWC Chronicles!

Carla Mora-Trejos, Clemson University Graduate Student: My experience at the Wilderness Management Seminar and WILD9

I visited wilderness in my home country, and in one of these places I found a reason to live, it showed me where I am supposed to go. Unfortunately, after having an 8 to 5 job and then working on graduate school I had forgotten this place and the main reason why I started to study this in the first place. Going back to this place in my heart with other people, helped me make sense of wilderness, I knew it before hand, but I didn’t know I knew it until at the seminar we had the chance to discuss and work on it together.  Continue reading >

Efrain Leonel Perales, Ecology Student at Sonora University; Comcaac Community member: WILD9

It was very important to me to participate in such an important event; I met people that I had only seen on TV (wow!). It was an experience that changed my life, both as a student and as a person. I would like to thank once more all the people that made my participation in WILD9 possible, and I really hope this will not be last invitation, but the first of many. Continue reading >

Tina Tin, freelance consultant and an advisor to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition: What I got out of the WILD9 Wilderness Management Seminar

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Wilderness Management Seminar was a life-changing experience. The Wilderness Management Seminar and the subsequent participation in the Government Forum gave me some invaluable one-on-one discussion time with some extraordinary people who would have been difficult to get to know during the main week of the Congress. As a result of the Wilderness Management Seminar and WILD9, I feel that I have a worldwide network of wilderness colleagues who I could call upon to work together, which is vital in trying to achieve the protection of a global heritage such as Antarctica.  Continue reading >

Trista Patterson, Senior Scientist with the US Forest Service: 8th World Wilderness Congress

I feel deeply that participation in the 8th WWC challenged me to develop my speaking style. The resulting growth in my work and ability to ‘reach’ people is something I’m so deeply grateful for, and I’m not sure how to express it. My work as a scientist was very influenced by my participation in the 8thWWC, in understanding how to communicate science differently and more effectively, using images and ideas, rather than statistics and tables. Continue reading >

Megaron Txukarramã, local chief of the Kayapó Nation, Brazil: 8th World Wilderness Congress & 1st Native Lands and Wilderness Council

Megaron journeyed with three other Kayapó to Anchorage for the 8th World Wilderness Congress, as part of a sponsored delegation. While in Alaska, they actively participated in the first meeting of the Native Lands and Wilderness Council. At this gathering, they presented their conservation stories, learned from other indigenous leaders, and gathered tools and knowledge for their people and their unrelenting efforts to protect their piece of the planet. Continue reading >

Alfred Sibango, Manager of the Kasika Conservancy: 8th World Wilderness Congress

On a personal level, Alfred was struck by the novelty of coldness and the necessity for warm clothing in the great north of Alaska. On professional level, the experiences of the Congress have transcended Alfred’s work with the Kasika Conservancy – the Congress served as an invaluable venue for Alfred to speak to other professionals about the successes and challenges of the Conservancy. Following the Congress, Alfred wrote an article for “Flamingo” Magazine on his experience. Continue reading >

Arthur Reinelt, Bavarian National Forest, Germany: 8th World Wilderness Congress

Arthur’s experience leading up, during and following the Congress shows that it is much more than an event – it is an ongoing conservation project, bringing together people from around the world to work on the common goal of protecting our earth’s wild places. Not only are models and projects presented to peers, but collaborations are formed, new ideas are generated and real results for conservation follow. Continue reading >