Stories from Malaysia and Rwanda

#NatureForAll at the 2nd Asia Parks Congress & Inaugural Africa Protected Areas Congress

–

Submitted by Erinn Drage, IUCN WCPA

The 2nd Asia Parks Congress (APC) was held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in May 2022. With an overarching theme of “Parks for Nature and People” the APC brought together over 1,000 in-person participants and 200 virtual participants from nearly 50 countries, representing government agencies, NGOs, Indigenous peoples, youth, academia, and the private sector.

A large focus of the Youth Forum was the #NatureForAll storytelling workshop that engaged participants directly in a conversation about how we can all share our love for nature with our peers, decision-makers and with the world. The workshop contributed to a better understanding of the tools and networks available to young people to share stories and provided a platform for conversations about the important role that young people play in protected areas in Asia and around the world. The Youth Forum proved to be a very lively component of the APC and attracted over 270 participants ages 18-35 and successfully demonstrated the value of youth participation in fora of this nature. Read the reflections of a WCPA Young Professional who attended the Congress.

The Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) was held in Kigali, Rwanda from July 18-23, 2022. The congress was co-organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the government of Rwanda, and the African Wildlife Foundation.

APAC brought together over 2,300 physical participants and 100 virtual participants, representing government agencies, NGOs, Indigenous peoples, youth, academia, and the private sector. As the first ever protected areas conference of this scale in Africa, there was significant momentum around positioning Africa’s protected and conserved areas within the broader goals of economic development and community well-being. One of the highlights was the #NatureForAll Youth Oasis a key pavilion held from July 19^th – 22 that included a full agenda of presentations, workshops, and activities targeting an intergenerational audience.

African youth empowerment and storytelling were the overarching themes of the Youth Oasis pavilion, with presenters on these topics coming from across Africa and the world to share best practices. Hear nature love stories shared at the #NatureForAll Youth Oasis by Congress participants.

Français