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Co-hosts the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSWPWS) and Parks Australia are gearing up for global environmental event, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Parks Congress, being held in Sydney from 12th to 19th November.

Held every 10 years, the prestigious Congress will, according to NSWPWS Deputy Chief Executive Michael Wright, shape national parks management for the next 10 years and beyond.

Wright explained “hosting this prestigious once-in-a-decade event is a coup for Australia and especially Sydney, providing a platform for the world to discuss the challenges and successes in managing parks and protected areas across the world.

“There are streams which focus on Indigenous management, engaging young people in conservation, protecting our oceans, climate change and the health benefits of getting out in nature.

“The Congress outcome will be called the Promise of Sydney and will capture the most strategic thinking of those present, inspiring solutions for the challenges we all face globally and charting the future direction for our precious national parks and reserves."

Being held at Sydney Olympic Parkt, the Congress is convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest environmental network.

The Congress will feature more than 1,700 presentations and events, with Heads of State, international Environment Ministers and more than 4,000 delegates from 160 countries.

It will include local and international experts of the highest calibre including:

• Sylvia Earle, renowned oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence;
• Luvuyo Hlanganani Mandela, social entrepreneur and youth advocate and great-grandson of the late South African President Nelson R. Mandela;
• Brazilian Senator Jorge Viana who has found creative ways to save the Amazonian rainforest;
• Harvey Locke, global leader in the field of parks, wilderness and landscape conservation;
• Nadya Hutagalung, Indonesian-Australian media personality and eco-activist who founded Let Elephants Be Elephants, a region-wide campaign to reduce the demand for ivory, and
• Emmanuel de Merode, Chief Warden of Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sydneysiders can also get involved by attending the free family festival Planetfest on Sunday 16th November, at Cathy Freeman Park, Homebush Bay.

The last IUCN Congress was held in Durban, South Africa in 2003.

More information on the IUCN World Parks Congress can be found at www.worldparkscongress.org

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