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By Misty Herrin
October 10, 2008: The Final Day, Tired and Inspired
Gutentag! I got a chance to dust off my shaky German when I found myself seated next to Rudolph Sprecht from the German Ministry of the Environment. He was very patient and seemed pleased that I was at least trying. It was slow going though and I probably said something random about train tickets.
Fortunately, his English was flawless, so we were able to have a substantive chat. The German government’s LifeWeb Initiative (.PDF) is a strong supporter of conservation around the world, including projects in the Coral Triangle and Micronesia.
Since the Conservancy is deeply engaged in those areas, I was interested to hear Sprecht’s take on what attracted his government to projects there. I asked if they were motivated by the incredible biodiversity of the coral reefs or the fact that so many people in the region depend on the fish and other resources the reefs provide.
He answered that while those things are important, the key factor for LifeWeb is the high level of political commitment in the countries involved and close collaboration among conservation organizations. Basically, they see these projects as strategic investments that will make a real difference and will last.
That’s been a common theme I’ve heard from our team this week. There was Jill Blockhus, a Conservancy senior policy advisor, speaking to an auditorium full of people about the fact that sustainable forestry can’t just be about protecting biodiversity, it has to also be about benefiting the people who need forests to support their families today and into the future.
Stephanie Wear, our Marine Protected Areas specialist, shared lessons learned on designing MPAs that can withstand the impacts of climate change.
There are so many examples like this.
Our international strategies are nuanced and complex, and success is wholly dependent on solid partnerships – with local communities, indigenous peoples, foreign governments, international agencies, businesses and other conservation organizations.
I’m leaving Barcelona with a profound sense that we’ve strengthened many of those partnerships, shared expertise that will advance conservation in far-flung places, and that we’re better equipped to reach our goals.
No wonder we’re all so tired and inspired. Adios!
Misty Herrin is a senior writer with The Nature Conservancy’s marketing team. She reports on news from our international programs for nature.org and print publications.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Misty Herrin (Misty Herrin).
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