|
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is partnering with Jamma International and Conservation Visions to host a Pavilion where we will present case studies and conduct panel discussions at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, held this month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Held every four years, the theme of the 7-day gathering (10/9-15) of nature conservation experts, leaders, policymakers, and government officials from around the world is Human-Centered Conservation.
“Conservation is a global responsibility,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “The same values of biodiversity protection and sustainable use we enjoy and advocate for here in North America are valued, but face challenges, around the world. WSF is a proud member of IUCN. They do a fantastic job in bringing the global conservation community together to align itself against today’s challenges, create unity, share actionable solutions, and vote on critical resolutions that will shape the future of wildlife and the habitats they, and we, depend on.”
With only five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and Global Biodiversity Framework, the IUCN Congress 2025 is a pivotal opportunity to elevate ambition, accelerate action, and scale up collaborative solutions that address the needs of both nature and people, ensuring that sustainability efforts are equitable and just.
Human-Centered Conservation is an approach that places the rights, knowledge, needs, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the core of conservation practice. It seeks to achieve both ecological integrity and human wellbeing through inclusive, locally grounded, and equitable governance systems.
Jamma International, based in South Africa, is focused on People-Centered Approaches to Conservation. Conservation Visions, from St. John’s Newfoundland provides leadership in international sustainable-use conservation and spearheads the Wild Harvest Initiative.
WSF-led or facilitated presentations include:
"Our purpose is to share success stories where people have positively impacted the future of wildlife, in particular game species,” Thornton explained. “We’ll present on how we creatively finance these impacts, how applied science is addressing threats such as disease in wild sheep, and how individuals, families, and our conservation partners, including our Native American tribal partners, participate in sustainable use conservation.”
The WSF delegation of speakers includes: Gray N. Thornton, Kurt Alt, WSF Conservation Director for International Sheep and Goat Programs, Peregrine Wolff, DVM, Executive Manager of the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) and past WSF Chair, Jacobo Artée, President of the Fundacion De Vida Silvestre En Sonora, A.C, Mexico, Aibat Muzbay, Executive Director of the ARLAN Foundation, Kazakhstan, and Austin Smith, General Manager of the Natural Resources Branch of the Warm Springs Confederated Tribes, Oregon, USA
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by sportsmen and other wild sheep conservationists. WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep, having raised and expended more than $156 million, positively impacting these species through population and habitat enhancements, research and education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”®. In North America, these and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations from historic lows in the 1950s-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. WSF has a membership of more than 11,000 worldwide. www.wildsheepfoundation.org.