Penelope Figgis spoke to the Institute on February 17th on the challenges of conservation in the 21st century. Until recently Penny was the Vice Chair for Oceania of the IUCN World Commission of Protected Areas and in November she was an important member of the planning team that hosted the World Parks Congress.

Penny used that event to illustrate the international links that modern conservationists have and the modern methods of negotiating between governments, between environmental non government organisations and between relevant academics. The IUCN, as a case study, is a body in which all such groups meet on equal terms.

When asked about its achievements Penny gave one special relevant example: the World Heritage Convention. That raised the issue of the Great Barrier Reef and whether it would be listed as a World Heritage site under threat.

Penny outlined the general threats to our ecosystem but also emphasised the cooperative nature of the World Parks Congress. At that event there were over 5000 delegates, including over thirty Ministers for the Environment.

Report by Brian Everingham