A global spotlight will be cast on Hawaii’s botanical heritage, which includes over 1,230 native plant species, many of them endangered and found nowhere else in the world, when the 2016 World Conservation Congress (WCC) convenes at the Hawaii Convention Center Sept. 1-10. It will be the first time that the prestigious, 67-year-old event has been held in the U.S.
Expected to draw as many as 10,000 delegates from 160 nations, WCC is “a very big deal for Hawaii—it’s on the order of getting the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference in 2011,” says Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
Sometimes referred to as the “Olympics of Conservation,” WCC draws a diverse mix of scientists, politicians, policy makers, educators, non-governmental organizations, business interests, and environment and climate experts. It will involve 10 days of meetings, discussions and debates on issues such as climate change, habitat loss and wildlife and plant conservation.
According to Kanoho, the Kauai-headquartered National Tropical Botanical Garden played an instrumental role in attracting the conference. Its director and CEO, Chipper Wichman, spearheaded efforts to convince IUCN that Hawaii deserved the chance to showcase its conservation efforts.
“The National Tropical Botanical Garden does tremendous work in preserving native plant species, many of which are endangered,” Kanoho says. “They’re also doing things like addressing how the cultivation of bread fruit can address world hunger.”
As he did with APEC, President Obama joined in efforts to bring WCC to his native state, writing to its organizers, “Hawaii is one of the most culturally and ecologically rich areas of the U.S., with a wealth of unique natural resources and distinctive traditional culture.”
