When he was just a boy, Chief Arvol Looking Horse inherited one of the most important objects in his culture, and was simultaneously charged with the protection of the sacred. In this day and age, when the capacity to exploit and commodify nature is greater than ever before, that’s a difficult proposition for a man, let alone a boy of 12 years. 

As the 19th carrier of the sacred white buffalo calf woman pipe, the most sacred chununpa of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate (the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota nations), Chief Looking Horse has spent a lifetime thinking about the sacred and how it manifests in the world. He is adamant that the sacred needs space, not just in our hearts and minds, but tangibly, in the physical world, and is committed to fighting for that space.

As part of Chief Looking Horse’s work at the 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12) held in He Sápa, the sacred Black Hills (South Dakota), he asked WILD to join his mission in creating space for the sacred, especially white animals which are, for his culture and others, messengers sent from the spirit world to remind us of our call to a higher spiritual life.

In partnership with Chief Looking Horse and Phil Two Eagle, the WILD12 Executive Host, WILD’s team drafted several resolutions. The first calls for the protection of white animals and sacred species, including expanding and strengthening Indigenous Peoples stewardship of the land in order to meet the scientific consensus of keeping  at least Half of Earth’s ecology intact, thus creating more space for white animals to manifest. The second calls for honoring treaties (sacred obligations) made with Indigenous Peoples for the purposes of traditional ecological stewardship.

In addition to these two WILD12 resolutions, congress delegates (Ernesto Enkerlin, former National Commissioner, Mexican National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), and Beatrice Padilla, world renowned artist and activist) also drafted a resolution calling for the protection of the entire Black Hills region, all of which is sacred to the Oceti Sakowin. 

WILD combined these three resolutions into one, forming the basis for IUCN Resolution 107: Scaling up Indigenous Leadership in the protection of biodiversity and the sacred. Recognizing that the IUCN Commission on the Environment, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP) – particularly its Culture, Conservation, and Spirituality Specialist Group – has laid important ethical and policy foundations for the recognition and protection of sacred natural sites, WILD collaborated with CEESP members to further develop motion 107, informed by ongoing dialogue around  gaps and emergent needs in the protection of the sacred. The result is Motion 107 as you see it now. Primary calls to action include:

1. Strengthening recognition of sacred landscapes, not just individual sites, and working with the United Nations World Heritage Committee to enhance its ability to honor such places.
2. Creating management guidelines for sacred areas across all categories of protected areas, including Category 1A (wilderness).
3. Centering the conservation of sacred species around Indigenous leadership, cultures, and governance systems.

Also embedded in this motion is the recognition that Indigenous lifeways are reservoirs of ecological wisdom and knowledge that, in general, have a far better track record in preserving life-giving ecological processes than does contemporary culture. Supporting these cultures and, most importantly, approaching them with curiosity and humility, might help us identify the values and institutions that aid them in being excellent ecological stewards so that we might consider investing in such systems within our own culture.

While Chief Arvol Looking Horse is unable to attend the World Conservation Congress this year, Indigenous representatives will be a part of the WILDdelegation to speak to this motion. We respectfully invite IUCN members to consider joining us in protecting the sacred by voting in favor of Motion 107.

It is no coincidence that the 20th-century collapse of wild nature happened after the near completion of the imperial project that sought to eradicate Indigenous Peoples and place-based lifeways. Empire, after all, is anathema to nature and place-based living. Why, you may ask?

The entire point of empire is to conquer ever more distant lands and peoples for the benefit of the imperial center. Slaves, minerals, food, and treasure are shipped from the periphery to the core, thus removing (and sanitizing) the wholesale destruction of culture and nature to some unobserved corner of the globe, giving those at the center the plausible deniability that, while empire is undoubtedly a brutal endeavor, the average citizen has personally done nothing wrong.

And what is destroyed to nourish the empire is not just the physical systems that support life, but the non-physical, intangible systems as well – cultural knowledge, ritual, and tradition – that evolved to co-exist well with local ecosystems. These too crumble. Those who perpetuate these systems either die or conceal their identities (and thus their lifeways) in order to survive in a new order. Eventually, subsequent generations adopt, more or less, the lifeways imposed on them by the empire, and an entire dual social-ecological system that fostered respectful behavior towards nature vanishes.

As a conservation organization, WILD believes that the root cause of the ecological crisis is a broken relationship with nature, and we are constantly asking ourselves, what are some of the forces that broke our relationship with the natural world, and how can we repair them? In answering these questions, empire and conquest loom large. But what can one small (but mighty) NGO do to help reverse the damage and restore and/or rediscover the cultural knowledge and systems that were destroyed?

In pursuit of these answers, we asked the traditional leaders of the Oceti Sakowin (the Seven Council Fires) of the Lakota nation to host the 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12) and to share with us their perspectives and solutions for what must be done to restore a respectful relationship with Unci Maka, Mother Earth. With nearly 700 delegates from approximately 40 countries and dozens of Indigenous communities, WILD organized numerous working sessions and a resolutions process to make space for Indigenous solutions.

Over and over again, in a variety of ways, we learned that three things were needed:

Recognition of and partnerships with traditional Indigenous leadership grounded in respect for traditional lifeways. Cultures evolve naturally from within. Traditional does not always mean practicing cultural values as they were practiced 150 years ago. But it does mean change driven from within the culture, not imposed from without.

 

Restoration of traditional territories and ecosystems for the purposes of conservation. Indigenous delegates at the Congress recognized that what remains of their traditional lifeways are under assault by assimilating forces. They also recognized that the destruction of their territorial ecologies has contributed to assimilation as individuals within their communities could no longer practice traditional lifestyles. They requested strong alliances from conservation committed to restoring territories to traditional leadership for the restoration of ecology, spirituality, respect, justice, and a remedy for the disease of imperialism.

 

A more ambitious and authentic conservation sector. WILD12 delegates, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, expressed significant cynicism about the conservation sector’s capacity to be authentic with itself. Believing that we harm ourselves when we imagine ourselves separated from nature (which manifests in actions like keeping intact nature reserved for protected areas and not something that is a right for all people to live within), delegates called for a deeper embrace of Indigenous leadership that can embed Indigenous values and principles within a conservation sector that was born within an imperial mindset.

These discussions led to the adoption of 12 resolutions, many of which call for the restoration of Indigenous territories to Indigenous leadership for the purposes of conservation. Four of these motions also call for stewarding at least Half of Unci Maka for intact nature simultaneous with the capacitation of Indigenous stewardship to achieve the science-based Half target. One of these motions includes Chief Arvol Looking Horse’s proposal to protect white animals, which are messengers of the sacred, by creating more space for them to be born into this world on lands and seas protected by Indigenous values and leadership.

We have translated these resolutions into 4 IUCN motions, Motion 96 being an amalgamation of several themes we observed.

While much time has been given to understanding how restoring Indigenous territories and lifeways must be a significant strategy to achieving the at least Half spatial target, it should also be noted that contemporary science also supports Half. Since the early 1970s, when the Odums first observed that wetlands began to precipitously lose ecological functionality once more than half of the landscape was destroyed, scientists have tested the Odum’s hypothesis in an increasing variety of landscapes, eventually culminating with Reed Noss’s call in 1994 to protect at least half of the biosphere in order to preserve its life-giving functionality. 

Different ecosystems require different percentage targets. Rainforests need at least 80% intact, grasslands 40%. And these specificities must be considered when countries design their own spatial target roadmaps. But on average, globally, the total is at least half. 

This target can be equated to a similar target in the climate sphere: 1.5 Degrees. And much like the Climate Convention, which has a political target of 2 Degrees, the Biodiversity Convention also has a politically determined target of 30%. Unlike the Climate Convention, however, in which everyone knows that 1.5 Degrees is the real, science-based target, few people outside of conservation scientists (over two-thirds of whom embrace the Half target) and in the general public know that at least Half is the actual target. 

We call on the IUCN to help remedy this lack of transparency about how much nature people need to survive.

At WILD12, there was an uncomplicated embrace of the Half target because the delegates were suffused with the knowledge that Indigenous lifeways offer an alternative and complementary model to traditional protected areas. Additionally, they believed that the Indigenous approaches to the stewardship of nature, if strengthened sufficiently, could help educate and transform mainstream society by fostering a deeper connection and relationship with place-based nature. 

In light of these facts, WILD and our co-sponsors respectfully request that the IUCN General Assembly adopt Motion 96 and the at least Half spatial target with the explicit condition that this target also be used to restore Indigenous territories and capacitate Indigenous leadership for the purposes of conservation, a transformative reform of people’s relationships with nature, and the preservation of the biosphere. 

Maidi Eira Andersson, a young Sámi reindeer herder, knelt beside the three reindeer does, their blood staining the nearby snow. The females had been healthy and pregnant before their gruesome and intentional slaying. Maidi, known by everyone who meets her for her fearless confidence, was momentarily shaken.

“We are charged with the protection of our beautiful reindeer, but I could not protect these three,” she lamented. Like the Sámi themselves, Maidi does not bend to fear or threats, and her resolve to protect her reindeer and the forests upon which they depend has only strengthened since the killing.

Less than six months prior to the reindeer killing, Maidi drafted a resolution at the 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12). It called for a ban on old growth deforestation in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi which makes up large swaths of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, and a small portion of Russia.

Fewer institutions have been more stalwart in their resistance to old growth deforestation than Sámi reindeer herders whose livelihoods depend on two species of lichen, which the reindeer eat during the winter, that only grow on old growth trees. In the last thirty years, Sweden has destroyed their old growth forests at a rate six to seven times higher than the destruction of the Amazon. 

The result has been near catastrophic for Sámi lifeways while also reducing the biodiversity in the boreal forests and releasing carbon dioxide stored in their rich soils. In the midst of the climate crisis, when old growth forests are some of humankind’s greatest allies for the sequestration of carbon services they perform, it is difficult to find a reasonable justification for the wholesale destruction of boreal old growth. Meanwhile, scientists estimate that perhaps only 4% of old growth outside of protected areas remains in Sweden.

Culturally, old growth destruction is forcing many Sámi to abandon their traditional lifeways. 

Over the years, natural grazing grounds have been impacted significantly by extensive forest clearcuts. Combined with climate change, this has created a very fragile and fragmented landscape, one that is nearly impossible to navigate for healthy grazing grounds in the winter months. Landscapes once rich in fertile, lichen-clad forests have since been cleared to make way for modern infrastructure. Roads, mines, windmills, and now car races. Each new addition to the landscape removes a piece of the life-giving green infrastructure that helps regulate Earth’s climate and upon which an entire culture depends for its very existence.

As Sámi reindeer herders navigate this increasingly fragmented ecosystem, they and their conservation allies also resist the continued destruction of the old growth. The culprits are mainly Swedish agroforestry companies who negotiate yearly with the Sámi districts on what new areas of forest will be cleared in the coming years. Despite the Sámi’s protests, the old growth is disappearing at an alarming rate.

In 2020, the European Union adopted a set of policies, called the European Green Deal, designed to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. These policies include ending old growth deforestation. Predictably, Sweden and other Nordic countries have resisted the implementation of the European Green Deal, a resistance led by the agroforestry sector.

While many citizens of Nordic countries are proud of the environmental reputations, it is equally clear that many are unaware of or powerless against the continued destruction of an ecosystem utterly necessary for the fight to halt the climate crisis. In such a context, both the Sámi and Swedish citizens, as well as the European Union, all of whom oppose old growth deforestation, would benefit from increased global attention to this matter.

That is why Maidi and other WILD12 delegates drafted a resolution calling for a ban on old growth deforestation in Sápmi. It is why WILD12 delegates from 40 different countries adopted it. And it is why WILD.org is carrying it forward to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress this October. 

The IUCN, the world’s largest volunteer network of conservation scientists, plays a similar (if not identical) role informing the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does in guiding the United Nations’ Climate Convention. The IUCN does this by holding a congress once every four years, during which scientists and governments alike vote on which policies the IUCN will prioritize during the proceeding four years, including at the United Nations.

In drafting this resolution, Maidi hopes to make the world aware of what is happening in her homeland and to the forests she and her reindeer depend upon. She believes that should the IUCN adopt it, she and her people will gain a powerful tool in their ability to protect these same forests.

Johanna Nilsson, director of WILD Sápmi, WILD’s new initiative which will work long-term to halt old growth deforestation in Sápmi by supporting Sámi-led actions, notes the importance of Sámi leadership in this issue.

“Protecting Indigenous Sámi rights means safeguarding the heart of Sápmi and honoring a way of life deeply connected to the land. When we fight for our rights, we stand for the right of all Indigenous Peoples to live with dignity, respect, and sovereignty,” Nilsson said.

WILD calls on all IUCN members to vote for Motion 131 at the end of August when it goes to electronic vote. Your vote is more than just a position on a motion. It is an important show of solidarity with the boreal forests, the Sámi, and the motion’s drafter, Maidi Andersson.

Do you stand for a healthier climate, Indigenous rights and lifeways, and a healthy and intact boreal forest? If so, vote for Motion 131 this August. 

We are living in a pivotal moment for conservation — and youth are at the heart of it. As the climate and biodiversity crises reach critical levels, global momentum for change is growing. The decisions we make now will shape our collective future — and young people are stepping up with bold leadership and a fresh vision for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. Around the globe, youth — who make up more than half of the world’s population — are not just raising their voices; they are organizing, driving innovation, shaping solutions, and holding institutions accountable.

However, conservation institutions are just beginning to respond. With the launch of the Youth Strategy 2022–2030, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) — the world’s largest volunteer-based network of conservation scientists — took a major step forward in its commitment to embed youth engagement across the Union. This commitment was further reinforced with the creation of the IUCN Youth Advisory Committee in April 2024, established to provide strategic guidance and ensure effective implementation of the Youth Strategy.

The limiting factor? Not youth interest — but the number of senior professionals available to mentor.

Yet, a critical gap remains between intention and impact. Young people still face significant barriers to meaningful involvement in conservation. They frequently lack connections to key networks and struggle to understand how complex decision-making systems work, making it hard for them to influence real change. At WILD.org, we’ve witnessed this firsthand. For more than ten years, we have collaborated closely with young ecological stewards worldwide through our youth-led initiative, CoalitionWILD. A cornerstone of our work is the Global Mentorship Program, which pairs emerging conservationists with experienced professionals. The demand is incredible—each year, we receive hundreds of applications from passionate young people eager to grow, connect, and make a greater impact. The limiting factor? Not youth interest — but the number of senior professionals available to mentor. And this is not unique to us. In our conversations with partner organizations and mentorship program hosts, we’ve seen the same pattern again and again: youth want connection and guidance, but opportunities remain scarce and unstructured.

This motion is both timely and necessary. It offers a concrete, actionable, and effective mechanism for engagement: mentorship. Not symbolic involvement. Not one-off panels. But sustained, meaningful relationships between emerging conservationists and experienced professionals. Relationships that foster knowledge exchange, mutual learning, long-term leadership development — and ensure continuity and legacy in conservation.

Motion 097 is the natural next step. It builds on existing momentum by embedding mentorship into IUCN’s operational toolkit. It helps organizations translate commitments into action, offering a simple yet powerful framework to nurture the next generation of conservation leaders while revitalizing senior leadership through fresh perspectives and renewed purpose.

If passed at this year’s World Conservation Congress, The IUCN will be empowered to institutionalize mentorship—not as an optional extra, but as a core component of building a future-ready movement. It will create more space for intergenerational collaboration and ensure that the experience and energy of young people are not lost, but multiplied.

We don’t need more declarations of support for youth — we need structures that make that support real. Motion 097 does exactly that. As it comes to the floor at the IUCN Members’ Assembly for further discussion, we urge all IUCN members to support and vote YES on Motion 097.

Let’s invest in our collective future by making mentorship a cornerstone of conservation.

CRUZEIRO DO SUL, July 14, 2025 – Deep within a remote corner of the Western Amazon, little boys and young men dream of becoming heroes for their people. One of these, Kalebe Teixei da Silva, a member of the Yawanawá People, has longed to become a protector of the forest for as long as he can remember. 

Unfortunately for many, such a dream is out of reach as most Amazonian Indigenous territories do not have access to the resources needed to provide such trainings.

This year, however, WILD in partnership with the Yawanawá Socio Cultural Association, Chengeta Wildlife, and Langland Conservation, made Kalebe’s dream come true.

Matias Yawanawá, one of the patrol leaders, lines up in advance of the ranger induction ceremony held on July 14, 2025.

Over the course of two months in May and June of this year, 18 young people, men and women, received their first forest monitor training. With the help of two Chengeta Wildlife and Langland trainers, they enhanced their knowledge of how to survive in the forest and learned for the first time how to use satellite devices that will help them report both wildlife activity and illegal incursion into the territory. 

They also engaged in daily physical training in preparation for the grueling physical conditions they will face on their monthly, week-long patrols of the territory.

Yawanawá ranger trainees on their first training patrol in June 2025. These rangers will be solely responsible for the monitoring and reporting of their home territory.

Kalebe was among this first round of forest monitor trainees and excelled in all subjects. He and his peers developed a strong relationship with their trainer, a former instructor at the French Foreign Legion’s jungle training academy, and affectionately began to call him “the Professor.”

This was the first time such a training has ever been offered in the Yawanawá territory, marrying traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge with contemporary equipment and methods. In April of 2023, the Yawanawá Leadership Council, reeling from new threats to their territory brought on by Brazil’s former President Bolsonaro, asked WILD to help them develop professional paid patrols that could help them monitor and secure their territory.

This initial round of training is just the first step towards a more comprehensive solution that involves a couple of strategically placed monitoring stations, a secure data room, and a first aid outpost, as well as annual trainings. WILD is actively seeking funding to implement the entire Yawanawá forest monitoring? program. If you are interested in helping bring more security to the Amazon rainforest and the Yawanawá territory, please donate here.

The patrols will begin in August, occur over 1 week, and each forest monitor will earn minimum wage for their efforts paid by WILD. Perhaps just as important, is the new-found pride each forest monitor has knowing that he or she will be an integral part of the defense of the Amazonian forest and their community’s traditional lifeways.

Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous People’s, Sonia Guajajara, and Amy Lewis, WILD managing director, at the Mariri cultural ceremony in advance of the ranger induction ceremony.

The destruction of the Amazon accelerated under Bolsonaro prompting scientists to warn that Earth’s largest rainforest is now so degraded that it may be on the threshold of an ecological tipping point. If their predictions are accurate, this would result in a fundamental change in the ecological services that maintain the forest and lead to the irreversible loss of the forest.

Many believe that the frequent droughts that have plagued the Western Amazon over recent years are evidence that the entire forest, which stretches across 9 countries, could be on the cusp of a catastrophic collapse.

More than ever, the people who live in the forest and depend upon it for their survival must be equipped and empowered to defend it.

On July 14, at the end of the Yawanawá’s most important cultural celebration, Mariri, 18 young people stood before their community to celebrate their induction as the first Yawanawá rangers.

Rangers receiving their diplomas at the induction ceremony on July 14 during the Mariri cultural event.

Oblivious to the whoops and shouts of the onlooking crowd, Kalebe Teixei da Silva took his diploma from the Chengeta Wildlife trainer and put on the red and black bracelet cuff bestowed upon him by Chief Tashka, designating him as a warrior of his people. He had finally become a ranger.

 ***

The Yawanawá Rainforest Lifeways program is entirely funded by a network of donors like you! If you would like to see this work continue, please consider a donation here. None of WILD’s work in the Amazon, or anywhere else for that matter, is possible without our committed community of generous donors. Please consider joining them for more frequent updates about our work and to help be a part of the defense of the wild!

Press Release

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2025, MKOCHENI VILLAGE, LAKE JIPE REGION, KENYA – A humanitarian and ecological crisis is rapidly unfolding in the southeast lowlands of Kenya, beneath the looming shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. This morning bulldozers continue clearing homes in Mkocheni village. Fencing poles were erected around entire settlements starting on July 2nd, 2025, cutting off vital routes used for centuries by Indigenous communities, livestock, and wildlife. More than 200 Indigenous families face eviction from ancestral lands they have inhabited for generations. These lands are not just homesteads; they are sacred, historical, and essential to both cultural survival and biodiversity conservation. 

Mkocheni lies at the heart of the Lake Jipe ecosystem, The Community That Lives With Elephants, a rare and fragile wetland that sustains elephants, hippos, hyenas, and migratory species. The area also supports Maasai herders, artisanal fishers, and Maasai pastoralists whose lives are closely intertwined with nature.

“What we are witnessing is not only an erosion of human rights but a dismantling of co-existence, ecosystem health, and conservation ethics. Fencing this land fractures ancient wildlife corridors, denies Indigenous people access to water, and violates the foundational principles of ecological justice.” – Zacharia Mutinda, founder of the Eco-Jipe Program.

Residents allege political complicity in the land seizure, naming the president, Hon. William Ruto in community testimonies. Relief items, blankets, food, and a cash payout of approximately $780 USD have been offered in exchange for relocation, which locals decry as coercion under duress. This crisis echoes patterns of neo-colonial land grabs and calls for immediate intervention from human rights institutions, environmental defenders, and policymakers. If action is not taken now, we risk losing not only a people’s home but also one of East Africa’s most important natural heritage sites.

Call to Action: Restore Land Justice

The ecological and human rights violations in Mkocheni are unfolding with complicity within the highest levels of power. According to community suspicion, the president is directly implicated in this land-grab scheme, utilising state machinery to displace Indigenous families and open land for private investors. This is a crisis of conservation, a crisis of community, and a crisis of conscience

Lake Jipe is more than a body of water. It is a living testimony to ecological and cultural resilience. Its corridors serve elephants, hippos, and Maasai herders alike. To fence this land is to erase a heritage. The people of Mkocheni are not asking for favors. They are demanding justice, recognition, and restitution. History has spoken. It is time the law listened

History & Background

Precolonial Era: Land Before the Lake
According to Mzee Mwivo, a village elder who arrived in Jipe in 1955, the Taveta region was once an expansive rangeland. People lived in what is now Toloha, and there was no lake, only the Lumi River meandering southeast of Vilima Viwili Hills. Wildlife thrived here in vast numbers. Rhinos were as common as goats, elephants were rare visitors, and herds of hartebeests, zebras, and impalas came to the area for mineral licks. Lake Jipe, as it exists today, is an oxbow lake formed by natural sedimentation and deposition over decades.

Colonial Era: Grogan’s Ranching Empire
Colonial transformation came under Colonel Ewart Scott Grogan, an influential settler who controlled Taveta under a 99-year lease dating back to the 18th century. Grogan built a massive ranch empire with expansive maize plantations, livestock farms, and fishponds. Africans laboured under strict and often brutal conditions. Grogan, known for his cruelty, once struck African men with a spade as they attempted to help his Land Rover out of mu

The area was subdivided: Mkocheni had over thirty fishing stations known as “matuta,” Kachero had about ten, while maize estates were managed by a settler named Peter (nicknamed “Tumbo Tumbo”) and grasslands by another called Peter the Baron. Kilometa Saba later emerged as a significant fishing and livestock camp.

1955–1963: Collapse and Relocation
When Grogan’s ranch collapsed in 1959, Mzee  Mwivo’s father was reassigned to supervise a water canal draining into Lake Jipe.  Mwivo briefly relocated to Dingiria-Taveta, selling game meat to Tanzanian residents. After Kenya gained independence in 1963,  Mwivo moved to Matutani (now Kilometa Saba). Sacred sites such as the baobab tree (2km from the lake) and Delonix elata trees (1km from the shore) were centres for spiritual rituals.

1965–1968: Patel’s Sisal Enterprise
An Indian businessman, Patel, leased the land for sisal farming, but his attempts to relocate local settlers failed. He left in 1968. That same year, President Jomo Kenyatta acquired large tracts of Taveta land, gifting the Jipe area to his ally, a Greek national named Criticos. Four years after Kenyatta’s death, Criticos was deported from Uganda. His son, Basil Criticos, has managed the land since the 1980s and later assimilated into the local Mzirai clan

​​Land Ownership from Kenyatta to Criticos
Land passed from Kenyatta to his wife Mama Ngina, her stepson Muhoho, and eventually to Basil. In 1995, Mama Ngina inquired about the fate of Jipe settlers. It was agreed that they would be resettled in the Jipe Settlement Scheme. Unfortunately, only eight residents received titles, with the rest allocated to political elites.

1997: The 2,500-Acre Squatter Allocation
Displaced residents were settled on 2,500 acres demarcated near Lake Jipe. Mkocheni villagers moved in under this informal agreement and have remained since. Yet, no legal ownership followed. Today, Mzee Mwivo has buried his father and five children on this land.

Post-Colonial Shifts and New Pressures
After independence, immigrants settled in Jipe to develop fisheries. However, this population expansion was not met with legal protections, leaving residents vulnerable. 

2020–2025: Modern-Day Evictions and Ecological Disruption
In 2020, evictions began in Lesesia, followed by Riata in 2022. By June 30, 2025, over two hundred Mkocheni families will be removed. Earthmovers are clearing homesteads. Fencing poles surround villages. Relief food, iron sheets, mattresses, and $780 are being used as incentives to vacate. Locals call this coercion.

Lawsuits have been filed. Witnesses fear for their lives. Wildlife corridors are being fenced off. On June 27, elephant dung, hyena spoors, and hippo trails were recorded crossing the now-grabbed land.

The Maasai in Orkung’u, previously fenced off from their water sources, now crawl under electrified wire to fetch water or walk 5km for a 20-liter barrel. Wildlife and livestock are increasingly cut off from essential watering and mineral access zones.

Community Quotes

• “This is abuse of power.”
• “Neo-colonialism today is worse than that of the white man.”
• “When we tried to follow up on this land from our local Lands Registrar, we were told the file is in Nairobi. When he called the Nairobi office, he was warned: leave it or disappear.”
• “Whoever allowed Criticos the power to own this land made a grave mistake. Issuing land based on ethnicity is creating ethnic strife.”
• “Our current MP and former MP have betrayed us.”
• “Four Maasai families are now seeking asylum in Tanzania. Many have fled with livestock. Children’s education has been disrupted.”
• “Mbona akafunga njia ya wanyama, watapita wapi?” (Translates to: “Why fence animal paths? Where will they go?”)
• “How can a village of 200+ get just 51 plots?”
• “We found beacons on our doorsteps.”
• “Our chief issued fake land titles for Kachero. We do not live in Kachero.”
• “He is cursed. I raised that boy since 1977. Now he evicts us.”
• “We’re being treated like refugees. No floods or disasters have occurred, only political greed.”
• “We want the gazette notice. We were once in darkness, but our children now see the light.”
• “This inhumanity is finishing the future of our generations.”

Media Contact
Zacharia Mutinda Muteti, Project Lead, Eco Jipe Program; zacharymutinda@gmail.com

References & Further Reading Material
An overview of the current status of Lake Jipe and its biodiversity dilemma – Orina – 2024 – Lakes & Reservoirs: Science, Policy and Management for Sustainable Use – Wiley Online Library

Co-managing Complex Social-Ecological Systems in Tanzania: The Case of Lake Jipe Wetland – ProQuest

Impact of land use changes on hydrology of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The case of Lake Jipe catchment – ADS

Local attitudes and perceived threats of human-elephant conflict: a case study at Lake Jipe, Kenya – ORA – Oxford University Research Archive

Aquatica_Vol_7_No_1.pdf

Towards long-term coexistence of humans and wildlife: peace and harmony in Lake Jipe – WILD Foundation

Zacharia Mutinda Muteti – Fostering Coexistence: Integrating Citizen Science, Sustainable Fishing Practices, and Climate-Adaptive Agriculture for Human-Elephant Harmony in Lake Jipe – The Rufford Foundation

For more information contact:
Amy Lewis, Managing Director of Policy & Campaigns, WILD.org
Johanna Nilsson, Director, WILD Sápmi Program, WILD.org

The undersigned founders have decided, on 23rd of May 2025, to establish a fundraising foundation named “Insamlingsstiftelsen WILD Foundation – Sápmi”.

The foundation shall, in accordance with its adopted statutes, promote its purpose and ensure that the funds raised are managed responsibly and transparently. The foundation is subject to the supervision of the Swedish County Administrative Board.

All funds received after this call shall constitute an independent fund to promote the foundation’s purposes, as stated below, and in accordance with the applicable statutes and regulations. The board, or any appointed trustee, undertakes to receive and manage the funds responsibly and in accordance with the foundation’s objectives.

Type of foundation
Charitable foundation

Founders
Amy Lewis and Johanna Nilsson

Name of the foundation
The foundation’s official name is “Charitable Foundation WILD Foundation – Sápmi,” hereinafter referred to as WILD Sápmi.

Purpose of the foundation
The foundation aims to:

• promote Indigenous-led environmental and climate work in the Nordic parts of Sápmi and globally.
• promote education and awareness regarding Sámi environmental issues and traditional knowledge.
• develop collaborations with local, national, and international actors in environmental protection and Indigenous rights.
• carry out practical activities that benefit both nature and people in the region.
• compile and disseminate Indigenous traditional knowledge about the ecosystems of Sápmi.
• increase understanding of Indigenous-led nature, environmental, and climate efforts through communication, education, and events.

Assets
The foundation shall manage its assets derived from donations, grants, and other contributions received to support its purposes. If you wish to contribute with a donate, please contact us at info@wild.org, and we will assist you.

Kind regards,

Founders

Amy Lewis

Johanna Nilsson

May 23, 2025

European Day of Parks

The EUROPARC Federation launched the European Day of Parks in 1999 to celebrate Protected Areas throughout Europe. To celebrate EDoP 2025, we chatted with two members of the EUROPARC Youth Council, Alberto Madrassi and Marla Schulz, to learn more about their journeys in conservation.

Can you tell us about your career path so far?

Marla: My name is Marla Schulz, I’m 28 years old, and my journey into conservation and sustainability began already in school, where I focused on biology and geography. I later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Geography, which gave me a broad understanding of human-environment interactions. It quickly became clear that my passion lies in the connections between people and nature, which led me to continue with a Master’s in Sustainable Regional Development at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.

Alongside my studies, I completed various internships in National Parks, Nature Parks, and Biosphere Reserves – both in Germany and across Europe. These hands-on experiences confirmed that this is the professional field where I truly belong. Through my internships and my student work with Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. (EUROPARC Germany), I had the opportunity to build a strong network. This helped me transition directly into a full-time role as a Specialist for Protected Area Management with Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. (EUROPARC Germany) shortly after finishing my degree.

Alberto: I always felt close to nature, but I didn’t choose it purposely as a career path. I got in touch with the field of nature conservation in 2018 when I joined the Youth Advisory Board of the Julian Prealps Nature Park, as a way to get out of my comfort zone. Thanks to this decision, little by little, I became more involved in the Park’s life, to the point of being asked to do an Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) experience. At the end of it, both the Park and I wanted to keep working together, so now I have a contract till the end of the year. Now I know that this is what I want to do in my life, and I am already thinking about ways of making it happen.

Photo credit: Marla Schulz

Can you tell us more about your current project(s)?

Marla: Since 2024, I’ve been a member of the EUROPARC Federation Youth Council, a role I started while still finishing my Master’s. Over the past two years, we’ve developed and participated in various exciting projects. One highlight was our recent “Youth+ and Beyond” networking event in April 2025, where we brought together youth groups from Protected Areas across Europe for meaningful exchange.

One of the participating groups was the German Youth Network Biosphere (Jugendnetzwerk Biosphäre e.V.), of which I’m also a founding member. Since our founding in 2023, we’ve focused on strengthening youth participation within Germany’s Biosphere Reserves. We organise three annual seminars in different reserves, where we connect with local management teams, explore the landscapes, work on our internal structures, and engage in peer learning.

Alberto: With the Youth Advisory Board, we conduct many activities throughout the year to involve people in the life of the Park and the Julian Alps Biosphere Reserve. For example, we just launched the third edition of the Julian Alps Film Festival, an event that brings movies to rural areas. We are proud to see more and more people at our events, especially those who aren’t active members of the communities we visit. 

Due to my experience with my youth group, I decided to apply for the EUROPARC Youth Council, and I am proud that I was selected as one of its ten members. We are doing our best to bring the voice of youth into the day-to-day life of EUROPARC and build a stronger Youth+ Community. It’s not always easy because we don’t have the chance to meet in person, but I feel the passion of my colleagues and I’m glad that I have the opportunity to work with them.

Photo credit: Alberto Madrassi

Why is it important to celebrate the European Day of Parks?

Marla: I think it’s wonderful that we have a dedicated day to highlight Europe’s incredible diversity of natural spaces. Protected Areas across Europe are home to unique landscapes and ecosystems – and this day helps raise awareness about them.

It’s also a chance to showcase innovative projects and foster exchange across borders, uniting us around a shared mission: the protection of our natural heritage. That spirit of connection is at the heart of the European community. I’d also like to highlight the European Youth Day in Parks on 15th September, which is a great opportunity for youth groups to take part and share their perspectives. As the Youth Council, we’re planning to contribute and encourage others to join too.

Alberto: Celebrating the European Day of Parks is a nice way to remind people of the importance of Protected Areas and the work they do for nature and local communities. It is a valuable opportunity to involve the general public in the life of PAs. In my area, every year the Julian Prealps Nature Park organises a festival called Parkfest. During the event, delegations of nearby Parks and Nature Reserves come to showcase their uniqueness, joined by folk groups and artisans. It is also an opportunity to strengthen longstanding connections and build new ones. 

Photo credit: Marla Schulz

Any advice for early-career conservation leaders?

Alberto: I feel I am not in the position to give advice, since I’m in the field by chance. I just want to say: take all the opportunities you can and always show passion and dedication. This is what made the difference for me. 

Marla: I believe gaining practical experience is absolutely essential. If possible, do as many internships as you can – they offer invaluable insights and help you understand where you want to go. If you’re able to find a student job in the field you’re aiming to work in later, even better! There are also so many opportunities out there specifically for young people – from conferences and workshops to information events and webinars. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of these whenever time and energy allow. For me, it was crucial to step outside the “university bubble” and get a sense of the real working world during my studies. So my biggest advice would be: explore, try things out, get involved – and don’t be afraid to take up space in the field early on.

Photo credit: Marla Schulz

What has been your favourite experience with nature or what is your favourite way to connect with nature?

Alberto: My favourite experience in nature so far was an early morning hike I did in Scotland during the Cairngorms Youth Climate Camp in August 2023. The sun was rising when I got out of my tent and started walking headed to Craiggowrie. There was a peaceful silence, broken only by a chill wind that created a marvellous effect on the heather. When I reached the top, I paused to enjoy the view, grateful for not having listened to my lazy side. 

Marla: One of the most breathtaking moments I’ve ever had in nature was during a volunteer project in 2021, monitoring sea turtles on the island of Crete. I witnessed a sea turtle laying her eggs at night – sitting quietly at a respectful distance and watching her disappear back into the ocean afterward. It was magical.

In general, I feel most grounded and at peace when I’m outside, surrounded by nature. Listening to birdsong, breathing in the forest air, and enjoying the deep, calming silence – that’s when I feel most connected to the world.

World Turtle Day with Aayush Dhungana

Aayush Dhungana is a young turtle conservationist working with communities in Nepal. In honour of World Turtle Day (May 23), we chatted with Aayush about turtles, community engagement, and career advice.

Can you tell us about your career path so far?

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, with a strong focus on wildlife research and conservation. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I actively participated in various research and conservation initiatives involving a range of species, including turtles, owls, crocodiles, pangolins, and squirrels. I’m really passionate about wildlife conservation, especially when it comes to lesser-known species like freshwater turtles and other aquatic animals that often don’t get much attention.

My interest in turtle conservation began during my time at the Institute of Forestry, Hetauda for my Bachelor’s degree. The campus and its surrounding areas are home to two highly threatened turtle species; one listed as Endangered and the other as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. I was fortunate to observe these highly threatened and elusive turtles around our area, which provided ideal habitat conditions such as dense leaf litter, abundant food sources, and access to water.

However, one incident left a lasting impact on me. During a forest fire near the boys’ hostel, we found a burned carcass of an Endangered Tricarinate Hill Turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata). The loss of such a rare and highly threatened species, especially one we had regularly observed that individual inside our hostel periphery, in what seemed like a safe habitat, was heartbreaking. That tragic moment triggered me more. It highlighted the urgent need to protect these overlooked species and their fragile habitats.

Since that day, I have dedicated myself to turtle conservation, from rescuing individuals in problematic situations to raising awareness and contributing in developing impactful projects. I have also prioritize developing strong networks with turtle conservationists in Nepal and abroad to exchange knowledge and learn newer dimensions of conservation practices. Moreover, I am trying to encourage my juniors to take part in research and conservation efforts for these often-neglected species.

Can you tell us more about your current project with turtles and communities in the Ghodaghodi Lake Complex?

The Ghodaghodi Lake Complex is home to a rich diversity of turtles, with 11 out of the 19 taxa known to occur in Nepal. However, many of these species are under threat due to local consumption, illegal trade, road accidents, bycatch, invasive species, and wildfires. Unfortunately, local communities are often unaware of the challenges these species face and the ecological importance of turtles.

My project focuses on bridging this gap through awareness and capacity-building initiatives. By educating local communities, especially the local ethnic Tharu community, about the significance of turtles and the legal protections in place, I aim to inspire behavioral change and active participation in turtle conservation efforts. Additionally, the project will build the capacity of local conservationists to help in halting threats to the species by enforcing stronger laws and increased patrols in the area in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies. The project also aims to integrate conservation awareness into public infrastructures, in the adjacent highway and high human activity areas. Through these efforts, this project hopes to build a foundation for sustainable turtle conservation in the region.

Why are turtles important to you?

Turtles are among the most important species for maintaining ecosystem integrity. However, beyond their environmental role, turtles hold a deep personal meaning for me. I see them as symbols of longevity, wisdom, and patience. Despite their critical contributions to ecosystem balance, turtles are often neglected in conservation efforts, which makes them even more important to me. I believe each species has a unique and irreplaceable role, and turtles are no exception.

There is so much I (we) can learn from turtles. Their slow and steady movement is a reminder that progress doesn’t always need to be fast to be meaningful. They teach me that consistent, patient effort, no matter how small can lead to lasting results. Their resilience and ability to endure harsh conditions inspire me to stay steady and adaptable in the face of challenges. Protecting turtles is not just saving a species, it’s about preserving wisdom, resilience, and balance in nature and values I try to follow in my conservation journey.

Why should we all appreciate turtles more?

While often overlooked, turtles play a vital role in maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems. They are also known as the vultures of aquatic ecosystems because they feed on dead organisms, carrion, and algae, helping to keep rivers and wetlands clean. In addition to this scavenging role, turtles contribute to seed dispersal, nutrient cycling, and even support symbiotic relationships with other organisms. They’re also important as bioindicators, since their presence reflects the health of freshwater ecosystems. In some cultures, they’re even believed to be the reincarnation of gods, which adds a deeper layer of meaning to their protection.

Yet despite their importance, turtles are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world. Many species are silently disappearing due to consumption as a source of food, habitat loss, illegal trade, pet use, pollution, and climate change. Their decline is not just a loss of biodiversity, but a sign of deeper issues in our freshwater systems; issues that also affect people. By appreciating and protecting turtles, we are also protecting the health of our rivers, wetlands, and the communities that depend on them. Turtles deserve more attention for what they do as well as for the wisdom and balance they represent in nature.

Any advice for early-career conservation leaders? 

Honestly, I’m still on the journey myself and actively pursuing conservation funding but here’s what I’ve picked up so far: conservation isn’t easy, funding is tight, fieldwork gets messy, and results take time. But in the middle of all that chaos, be like a turtle; Calm, unbothered and protected by your imaginary shell. Remember: slow and steady doesn’t just win the race; it passes you through tough phases. Patience and persistence are our superpowers.

What has been your favourite experience with nature or what is your favourite way to connect with nature?

My favorite way to connect with nature is simple: grab a pair of binoculars, head out for a nature walk, and explore new places I haven’t seen before. There’s always something magical about stepping into the wild, observing everything around you, and being completely amazed by the world that’s often right in front of us but overlooked. Whether it’s climbing to a high point for a broader view or just sitting quietly and watching natural dramas, it’s always an unforgettable experience.

What’s your favourite turtle joke?

So, there was this big race to see who could get home first. The rabbit jumped off, the deer sprinted ahead, and the bird was soaring high and fast, giving all, it had. But guess who won? The turtle! Why? Because while everyone was rushing, the turtle was like, “No worries, I carry my home with me!”

Celebrating World Bee Day with Aruna Bangura

To celebrate World Bee Day (May 20), we caught up with Aruna Bangura, founder of the Tiwai Honey Initiative and 2023 EXCELerator LIVE program participant from Sierra Leone.

Image courtesy of the Iris Project

Can you tell us about your career path so far?

I began my conservation journey as a volunteer and Mava Conservation Scholar for deeper theoretical exploration. I graduated from African Leadership University, focusing on climate change via community-led, nature-based solutions. My path merges environmental research, livelihood empowerment, community-based conservation, and biodiversity restoration.

Can you tell us more about your current project, the Tiwai Honey Initiative?

The Tiwai Honey Initiative is a community-driven initiative that aims to revitalise the declining bee population and enhance livelihoods. We train local community members in sustainable beekeeping practices across Tiwai Island, restoring bee populations, combating deforestation, and providing skills in beehive management, honey processing, and environmental education.

Image courtesy of the Iris Project

Why are bees important to you?

As a conservationist, I view bees as vital, representing nature’s fragile equilibrium. Without them, ecosystems and human existence are jeopardised. Their silent yet crucial contributions serve as a reminder that even the tiniest beings play a significant role in maintaining life and ecosystem balance.

Why should we all appreciate bees more?

We should value bees more. They are quiet protectors of our food systems and biodiversity. As a conservationist, I see their survival closely connected to our own. By protecting bees, we’re ensuring the health and resilience of our planet.

Any advice for early-career conservation leaders?

Stay rooted in your passion and never underestimate the power of your voice. As a young conservationist, I’ve learned that real change often begins with small, consistent actions and the courage to challenge the norm.

Image courtesy of the Iris Project

What has been your favourite experience with nature or what is your favourite way to connect with nature?

One of my favourite experiences with nature is walking through our bee farm, listening to the buzz of bees. The calm, the sounds, and the connection to the ecosystem remind me why I do this work. It’s in those quiet moments that I feel most grounded and inspired.

For more information contact:
Amy Lewis, Managing Director of Policy & Campaigns, WILD.org
Johanna Nilsson, Director, WILD Sápmi Program, WILD.org

Press Release

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025, JULEVU/LULEÅ, SÁPMI – WILD.org continues its +50 year tradition of protecting the self-willed, intact ecosystems – which many refer to as wilderness[1] – by launching a new program that allies the autonomous and sovereign defenders of old growth boreal forests: Sámi reindeer herders and reindeer herding districts in Sweden.

Sweden is eradicating old-growth forest at a rate 6-7x faster[2] than the destruction of the Amazon. Sámi reindeer herders are the most dedicated advocates of the old growth trees, but without international help they confront enormous odds. WILD Sápmi is partnering with Sámi communities to capacitate successful grassroots efforts to defend the forest.

Amy Lewis, Managing Director of WILD.org, says:

“Many don’t realize that Sámi reindeer herders are probably the most effective and dedicated protectors of old growth trees because their herds depend on them for their survival. By defending and empowering Sámi lifeways we are leveraging existing knowledge and expertise to mount a more effective defense of the forest and Earth’s climate.”

The boreal forest is the largest terrestrial carbon sink, with one hectare alone sequestering potential emissions equal to more than that produced by 20 cars annually. Unfortunately, Scandinavian timber extraction has taken priority over the climate crisis and every year tens of thousands of acres are lost to the forest industry. 

Meanwhile, the Sámi lifeway is also besieged by the very forces threatening the forest.

Johanna Nilsson, Director of WILD Sápmi, says:

“Protecting Indigenous Sámi rights means safeguarding the heart of Sápmi and honoring a way of life deeply connected to the land. When we fight for our rights, we stand for the right of all Indigenous Peoples to live with dignity, respect, and sovereignty.”

WILD.org (also known as WILD Foundation) has a long history of protecting wild areas and wilderness and has initiated new wilderness policy tools in countries around the world including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) protecting area category known as Wilderness Category 1b [3] which places emphasis on the protection of wild ecosystems and the traditional, non-industrial lifestyles that coexist within these places.

But since its inception in 1970s South Africa as a partnership between the South African game ranger, Ian Player, and his Zulu mentor, Magqubu Ntombela, WILD has sought to address the root causes of ecological collapse which it maintains is a broken relationship between humanity and nature. For this reason, WILD has historically placed a special emphasis on allying with Indigenous Peoples not just as an effective method for protecting wild places, but also as a necessary action to maintain the values, knowledge, and institutions that can help global civilization adopt a more harmonious coexistence with the natural world.

WILD.org is proud to launch WILD Sápmi, which has already taken its first action by proposing a ban on old growth deforestation at the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress to be held in October of 2025. Program leaders are actively seeking pilot areas to participate in forest monitor trainings in 2026 which they hope will lead to improved data about Sápmi’s forests as well as new income avenues for Sámi communities.

Earth’s ecosystems are interconnected. What happens in Sweden has consequences for the entire planet.

Media Contact:
Amy Lewis, Managing Director of Policy & Campaigns, WILD.org
Johanna Nilsson, Director, WILD Sápmi Program, WILD.org

References
[1] The Hé Sapa Resolution (12th World Wilderness Congress)
[2] Sweden has vast ‘old growth’ forests – but they are being chopped down faster than the Amazon (The Conversation)
[3] Wilderness Protected Areas: Management guidelines for IUCN Category 1b protected areas 

For more information contact:
Amy Lewis, Managing Director of Policy & Campaigns, WILD.org
Johanna Nilsson, Director, WILD Sápmi Program, WILD.org

Press Release

WILD.org strongly condemns the decision by Swedish Cellulose Stock Corporation (SCA), Europe’s largest private forest owner, to withdraw from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system in Sweden for an underdetermined period – a strategic withdrawal from the rights of Indigenous Peoples, a disregard for the global climate, and a green light for increased ecological degradation.

The FSC system, despite its flaws, is one of the few global forestry standards that attempts to uphold Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. FSC’s own principles are clear:

“The Organization shall identify and uphold Indigenous Peoples’ legal and customary rights of ownership, use and management of land, territories and resources affected by management activities” (FSC Principle 3.1) and “shall engage in free, prior and informed consent” (FSC Principle 3.2).

In a social media statement from the Swedish Sámi National Association Sámiid Riikkasearvi (SSR), president Matti Blind Berg explains:

“From the Sámi perspective, we are unfortunately all too familiar with how large exploitative representatives resort to various types of pressure when they do not get what they want. The way SCA is acting now is a clear example of this, says Blind Berg.”

By walking away from FSC, SCA is walking away from even this minimal level of accountability.

SCA’s decision is a direct affront to the Sámi reindeer herders and the legal and moral obligation to secure their consent before exploiting their lands,” says Amy Lewis, Managing Director, WILD.org. “It is also a step backwards for nature-based solutions and the need to protect nature to effectively fight climate change.

The boreal forest is one of the most powerful carbon sinks on the planet. It stores more carbon per hectare than tropical forests, especially in its soils and old-growth stands. Disturbing these ecosystems through clearcutting releases vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere.

At the heart of these forests lies Sápmi, home to the Sámi people, the last recognized Indigenous culture in Europe. Their traditional way of life, rooted in reindeer herding, is increasingly endangered by extensive logging in the boreal forests. 

Johanna Nilsson, Director of WILD Sápmi, the Sámi-led program operating under the umbrella of WILD.org and which will publicly launch in late April, explains the relationship between Sámi lifeways and the continuation of the boreal forests in stark terms.

“One of the strongest institutions, if not the strongest, protecting the remaining old growth forests in Sapmi is the relationship between Sámi reindeer herders and their herds,” Nilsson contends. “Because the reindeer require lichen for winter forage that thrives on old growth trees, the traditional Sámi people have argued more vociferously than anyone else for the protection of these areas.”

Why are they leaving?

SCA leaves FSC for an unspecified duration, arguing that the regulations threaten the availability of raw materials and, consequently, the production of climate-smart, renewable, bio-based products. But this narrative is deceptive. 

“It is about SCA planning to increase logging, which in turn will lead to higher emissions,” says Göran Englund, researcher and professor at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Geosciences at Umeå University.

Scientific consensus has made it clear: the fastest and most effective climate action in forestry is to drastically reduce logging in intact forests, not to increase it.

“Destroying the boreal forest to make products that replace fossil fuels is not climate action—it’s colonialism dressed up in green. We cannot cut our way out of the climate crisis.” Lewis says.

FSC is not perfect

FSC-certified forestry is far from perfect. It has not always delivered the protection for biodiversity or Sámi livelihoods that it promises but it sets at least a minimum framework of transparency, Indigenous consultation, and some ecological safeguards. Without it, there is nothing standing between industrial logging and the most valuable, vulnerable forest ecosystems in Sápmi.

A recent report published by Greenpeace and Renskog highlights ongoing conflicts between forestry practices and reindeer husbandry, underscoring the necessity of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) in decision-making processes affecting indigenous lands (Greenpeace/Renskog, 2025). The report outlines serious shortcomings in how forestry operations have interacted with Sámi communities, particularly in the crucial areas of land use and resource management.

The loss of SCA’s certification—nearly 20% of all FSC-certified forests in Sweden—also weakens FSC itself and potentially leads other companies to follow suit.

WILD.org urges:

1. The Swedish government to fulfill its obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and to ensure FPIC is upheld in all forestry decisions.
2. International actors and consumers such as Nestle, Essity etc, to scrutinize SCA and reject greenwashing that erases Indigenous rights and climate science.
3. FSC International to hold firm to its existing principles and not water down its commitments under industry pressure.

Earth’s ecosystems are interconnected.
What happens in Sweden has consequences for the entire planet.

For decades, conservation has relied heavily on the deep wisdom and technical expertise of seasoned practitioners. Their hard-won knowledge has protected landscapes, endangered species, and cultural heritage across the globe. Yet as we stand on the brink of unprecedented ecological tipping points, there is an urgent need to cultivate the next wave of leadership—one that is agile, inclusive, and ready to inherit the mantle of responsibility.

At the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i, a clear message was sent to the global conservation community:

“We need a global movement that nurtures a new generation across all sectors of society to connect with nature and take action to support conservation.”

The Congress emphasized that nurturing youth requires more than just access to nature as it demands deliberate mentorship and empowerment, “conservation community has a responsibility to help youth by empowering young professionals to develop their capacities and networks…recognizing that youth have as much to teach as they have to learn.” (See 2016 IUCN Congress Navigating Island Earth: The Hawaiʻi Commitments.)

Now, at the crossroads of a planet in crisis and a generation bursting with passion and innovation, CoalitionWILD has tabled a transformative motion for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC): a global call to institutionalize mentorship within the conservation movement. This call to action is rooted in the recognition that embedding structured mentorship pathways into the DNA of conservation organizations and networks worldwide is an organic transfer of knowledge so the lessons of the past are not lost but rather adapted and carried forward by new voices.

The youth’s fresh perspectives are the “winds” that can help propel conservation forward, yet too often, they face systemic barriers to entry—lack of access to influential networks, limited professional development, and, at times, tokenistic inclusion in major decision-making platforms. Mentorship provides more than just career guidance; youth gain firsthand insights into navigating complex socio-political landscapes, understanding conservation governance, and developing skills that formal education alone cannot provide.

This motion arrives at a critical time. As the IUCN shapes the 2025 World Conservation Congress, the inclusion of mentorship in its strategic agenda will signal to the broader conservation community that youth leadership is not optional—it is essential. The future of protected areas, biodiversity targets, and climate resilience depends on our ability to foster leadership pipelines that are diverse, empowered, and well-equipped.

We are pleased to acknowledge our co-sponsors on this motion, including Wilderness Foundation Africa, Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo, A Rocha International , Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Earth Law Center, EarthX, EuroNatur – Stiftung Europäisches Naturerbe, EUROPARC Federation, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, Synchronicity Earth, WildTeam Bangladesh, Women for Conservation/W4C USA. This motion could not come to the floor without their fearless support.

And we also want to thank the many delegates of the 12th World Wilderness Congress who voted in unanimous agreement on the mentorship resolution that recognizes the importance of championing mentorship opportunities into the wider conservation framework.

You can read Mainstreaming mentorship for young ecological stewards to enhance conservation efforts here. We look forward to announcing later this month the outcome of the IUCN’s initial review of this motion and whether or not it was accepted for debate on the floor of the World Conservation Congress.

Boreal forests are the largest land-based carbon storehouse, sequestering about 11% of the world’s total carbon storage.

And yet, Sweden is deforesting its old growth trees at a faster rate than the deforestation of the Amazon.

At a time when every part per million of carbon counts, the loss of old growth forests in Sweden is frightening.

Compounding the tragic loss of these trees is the fact that the Sámi way of life depends on the presence of abundant old growth trees. Traditional Sámi culture revolves around reindeer herding, the annual trek from taking the semi-wild reindeer from the summer pastures in the mountains to the winter grazing along the coast. 

When the ground is covered in ice and snow, lichen that grows only on the most ancient of trees contains the nutrients reindeer need to survive. And yet that lichen is quickly vanishing along with the old-growth trees.

Delegates at the 12th World Wilderness Congress, including Sámi reindeer herders and their allies, took action to address the critical loss of boreal forests and adopted a resolution calling for a complete ban on all old-growth trees in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi people which consists of large parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and parts of Russia. Read the Protecting the Sámi Forest: Safeguarding Biodiversity and Indigenous Livelihoods resolution. 

WILD.org has adapted that resolution and proposed it as a motion for the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress to convene in October 2025. 

We recognize that the strongest institution standing in the way of the Swedish forestry companies and the complete destruction of the old growth forest is the relationship between the Sámi and the reindeer. Every year, Sámi reindeer herders are required to “negotiate” with forestry companies for how much forest can be taken. Oftentimes these meetings are fraught with lack of transparency by the forestry companies and a sense of isolation by the Sámi. 

The Sámi must not stand alone in the protection of an ecosystem that benefits the entire biosphere! Our future, which the old growth helps to protect, must not be on the negotiating table! By calling for a ban on old growth deforestation we halt the destruction of a critical ecosystem as well as the lifeway that defends it best.

We are pleased to acknowledge our co-sponsors on this motion, including Wilderness Foundation Africa, Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo, Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, and Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation). This motion could not come to the floor without their fearless support.

And we also want to thank the many delegates of the 12th World Wilderness Congress who voted in near unanimous agreement on a total of 4 resolutions that included both an emphasis on protecting ecosystems, such as old growth forests, and the Indigenous institutions that maintain and advance conservation values. 

You can read Protecting the Sápmi Forest: Safeguarding Biodiversity and Indigenous Livelihoods here. We look forward to announcing later this month the outcome of the IUCN’s initial review of this motion and whether or not it was accepted for debate on the floor of the World Conservation Congress.

Too often when a habitat or ecosystem is threatened or collapses it is because an important institution is either absent or has somehow failed at maintaining a respectful and sustainable relationship between the human population and the rest of life. In contemporary, mainstream societies such institutions might include a land management or regulatory agency, a protected area, the rule of law, or law enforcement. 

But for millennia prior to what Max Weber refers to as the “rational-legal” era, inhabited landscapes around the world flourished without such our contrivances. It is difficult for many of us to imagine how people fostered respectful relationships with nature without officialdom to ensure correct behaviors. And yet even without the oversight of uniformed officers of the law, institutions existed that helped to maintain harmony between people and nature. Many of those institutions were oriented around the sacred.

On the last day of the 12th World Wilderness Congress (WILD12), two delegates, Ernesto Enkerlin, the former head of Mexico’s National Commission on Natural Protected Areas, and Beatriz Padilla, put forth a proposal to stop all mining in the entirety of the Black Hills region of the United States for the sole reason that it is sacred to the Lakota and other Indigenous Peoples. On the same day, delegates considered (and adopted) a resolution put forward by Chief Arvol Looking Horse to protect white animals because they are messengers of peace and remind us of our connection to the sacred. Other resolutions calling for greater attention to the sacred included proposals for Indigenous-led conservation around sacred species and places to better incorporate the Indigenous worldview, and Indigenous institutions, within the contemporary conservation framework and movement. See the resolutions.

But for all that the “the sacred,” as an institution, played a substantial role in the respectful stewardship of Earth’s wild places for millennia, its role in contemporary landscape and marine area protection is marginal. Its marginal role in contemporary institutions in turn marginalizes the traditional peoples that have played such an important role in the stewardship of wild places.

Adapting these resolutions into a single, two-paged motion appropriate for the global audience at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was no easy feat. Especially given the already excellent groundwork laid by the IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP) regarding Sacred Sites. But by bringing WILD12’s resolutions to CEESP we were able to work with the commission in identifying gaps in the protection of the sacred, especially in three main areas:

• Sacred site management guidelines do not exist for all 7 categories of protected areas and more work needs to occur between CEESP and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to draft and promulgate such guidelines.
• Only minimal attention has been paid to World Heritage Sites and their role in protecting both sacred sites and sacred complexes.
• The issue of access to sacred places is an important one, not just because it enables traditional people to worship according to their own traditions but because we believe it is also the first step towards restoring humanity’s relationship with sacred nature.

As a result of the proposals of WILD12 delegates and WILD’s work with CEESP we have put forward a motion to the IUCN that bridges these gaps to help achieve pragmatic milestones towards embedding care for the sacred within this important international institution.

We are pleased to acknowledge our co-sponsors on this motion, including Wilderness Foundation Africa, Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica, Center for Environmental Law and Ethics, and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. This motion could not come to the floor without their fearless support.

And we also want to thank the many delegates of the 12th World Wilderness Congress who voted in near unanimous agreement on a total of 4 resolutions that included both an emphasis on expanding Indigenous territories to achieve conservation values and the urgent need to do so to protect and restore the sacred.

You can read Scaling-up Indigenous Leadership in the protection of biodiversity and the sacred here. We look forward to announcing later this month the outcome of the IUCN’s initial review of this motion and whether or not it was accepted for debate on the floor of the World Conservation Congress.

In the climate space, the world has adopted a clear red line based on the scientific consensus: 1.5 Degrees Celsius. Meaning that humanity acknowledges that if we exceed 1.5 Degrees warming globally then we will likely face catastrophic consequences. This target was chosen based on the conclusions of thousands of climate scientists around the world. Regardless of whether it is feasible for humanity to avoid it or not, it is important that the global population understands, in objective terms, the limits of our climate and atmosphere.

There is a corresponding target in the biodiversity sector: it is at least Half or 50%. According to approximately 70% of conservation scientists we need to keep at least Half of all ecosystems intact to maintain the ecological services derived from these landscapes and marine areas. Some ecosystems, like rainforests, require a lot more. The Amazon, for example, needs at least 80% intact or else it will lose the ability to maintain itself as a rainforest and will collapse. Still others, like grasslands, require less, or around 40%. But on average it all works out to at least Half of Earth’s lands and seas.

Conservation scientists have been talking about Half for a long time. The Odums first observed in the early 1970s that if more than 50% of a wetland was degraded then the wetland began to collapse. In the 1990s, Reed Noss was the first to conclude that the principles that operate at a landscape level also apply to the entire biosphere. Which is why he called for the protection of Half of Earth nearly 3 decades ago. The first conservation group to call for the protection of Half of an entire country was the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWs) in the mid-2000s. In 2009, WILD.org was the first NGO to call for Half of the entire planet at the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merída, Mexico. About 8 years later, E.O. Wilson would do the same in his book, Half Earth. 

Despite all of these efforts, getting Half on the national and international agenda has not been easy. It wasn’t easy for 1.5 Degrees either although climate advocates largely succeeded in Paris where 2 Degrees was adopted as the political target but 1.5 Degrees was loudly proclaimed to be the actual scientific target. The biodiversity sector has, unfortunately, lagged behind.

Many fear that Half is not feasible. Planetarily, we are sitting on the Half threshold now, and with the world anticipating adding 25 million km of roads in the next 20 years (enough to encircle Earth 600x) and double the amount of urban square footage, a lot of people don’t want to talk about the scientific consensus because they don’t think it is politically achievable. They believe that if we gradually increase targets from 17% to 30% and eventually to Half that this will be an easier political pathway. But we at WILD disagree!

When is it more ecologically and politically feasible to achieve this target? When we have approximately Half left (as we do now) or when we have to restore at a nearly unimaginable scale 25 years from now, removing millions of homes and kilometers of roads, reconstructing fragile landscapes, and even reviving extinct species?

Calling for and designating Half now is by far the easier route, even if it is difficult and nigh impossible! And besides, the global population deserves to know the truth about Earth’s ecological limits.

The other concern is that a 50% spatial target could be used in many places to displace Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. WILD.org takes this fear far more seriously than the concern about political feasibility as we know Indigenous Peoples have been displaced and continue to be displaced in the name of conservation. This does not mean the ecological limits of our planets change, but it does mean we must approach this spatial target with caution as well as inclusive oversight and decision-making.

Fortunately, a growing recognition within conservation that we cannot achieve Half without including Indigenous Peoples is bringing much needed attention to the opportunities presented by Indigenous land stewardship. Not only have Indigenous Peoples in general done a better job of preserving natural ecology than has mainstream society, but they also are best positioned to continue to do so if given the right training, opportunities, and incentives.

For this reason, WILD.org prioritizes partnerships with Indigenous communities for our on-the-ground conservation projects (traditional protected areas are also an important tool for reaching the Half target, but WILD.org feels best positioned to maximize our impact for people and nature in partnership with Indigenous Peoples), and resourcing new conservation instruments, including Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to empower Indigenous-led conservation and to improve our chances of achieving Half NOW!

That is why our first motion submitted for the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October calls for the IUCN to adopt the Half spatial target and to do so by including and prioritizing the capacitation of Indigenous-led conservation, and strengthening and expansion of Indigenous territories to achieve conservation values.

We are pleased to acknowledge our co-sponsors on this motion, including Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo, The Rainforest Trust, Wilderness Foundation Africa, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and Earth Law Center. This motion could not come to the floor without their fearless support. 

And we also want to thank the many delegates of the 12th World Wilderness Congress who voted in near unanimous agreement on a total of 4 resolutions that included both an emphasis on expanding Indigenous territories to achieve conservation values and the urgent need to do so in order to protect at least Half of Earth’s lands and seas.

You can read Setting area-based targets on scientific evidence and reversing historic injustices here. We look forward to announcing later this month the outcome of the IUCN’s initial review of this motion and whether or not it was accepted for debate on the floor of the World Conservation Congress.

Press Release

CALL TO ACTION:
Threats Against Sámi Reindeer Herders Protesting Swedish Car Rally Escalate with Killing of Reindeer

Rans Sámi District, Umeå, Sweden, February 10, 2025 – Maidi Andersson wept on Sunday, three of her pregnant reindeer lay dead in the snow before her. Only hours before, someone had shot and immobilized them before brutally cutting away their throats. 

Like many Indigenous Sámi, the 22-year-old was celebrating Sámien nasjuvdnabeäjvvie, Sámi National Day – on the week of February 6. But for her and her reindeer community, Rans Sámi district, the celebration abruptly ended when she discovered the slain reindeer.

Maidi Andersson at WILD12 presenting a motion to ban old growth deforestation in Sápmi months before a brutal attack on her reindeer herd.

Writing on social media where she posted photos and videos of the attack, Andersson laments: “A black fog of threats, hatred, harassment, and heat has loomed over us for a period of time, but I would never have imagined that it would manifest against our innocent and peaceful animals. As reindeer herders our task is to protect the dearest we have, the herd, but how do we protect them from such brutality?”

The attacks happened in the context of the Rally Sweden, a wintertime car race that has recently moved northward to the Västerbotten region due to lack of snow in southern Sweden. 

The people of this region, Europe’s only recognized Indigenous group, are traditionally reindeer herders which they continue to practice in their traditional territory known as Sápmi which extends across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. In recent decades, their occupation has become exponentially more challenging due to the destruction of old-growth forest (occurring in Sweden at a faster rate than the deforestation of the Amazon) and a changing climate. Reindeer herds require large, tranquil areas to fulfill their annual migration. A loud and crowded car rally cutting across the already fragmented habitat only adds to the already formidable challenges confronted by Sámi herders.

Umeå municipality, the winter grazing area for Rans Sámi district, lodged their opposition to the car rally three times in the lead up to the event, explaining to organizers that it would be too disruptive to the reindeer. Despite these protests, the car rally was granted the necessary permits to include the Andersson’s district as part of the raceway.

Using attacks on reindeer as a form of harassment and retaliation against the Sámi is an on-going issue, often stemming from disputes over land use and exploitation by industries like mining and forestry. Oftentimes, threats against Sámi reindeer herders go unreported due to fear of reprisal against individual herders as well as entire Sámi communities.

Despite this, Andersson and her district have officially filed a complaint to the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten – the body in charge of granting permits. Together with Umeå Municipality, they have a responsibility to safeguard and foster reindeer husbandry. They are also required by the Consultation Order to prioritize the Sámi community’s concerns when making relevant decisions. Approving the rally, without genuinely considering and respecting the reindeer herders’ views, is a blatant dereliction of their mandated duty

WILD is officially partnering with Swedish Sámi districts later this year in a project to help defend the remaining old growth forests of Sapmi and the people and way of life that has stewarded these areas for millennia. The Sámi’s relationship with their reindeer is one of the most powerful institutions safeguarding the old growth forests in Sweden and elsewhere in Sápmi, which have been extensively logged throughout Sweden for the last two decades. Losing these forests could have catastrophic consequences for climate change.

While not yet publicly launched, Sámi-led work is already underway to bring greater international attention to the plight of Sweden’s old growth and its traditional guardians, the Sámi People. 

WILD offers our solidarity to Maidi Andersson, the people of Umeå, and Sápmi in this dark and frightening time and stand with them in support of their lifeway, the forest, and the reindeer.

For more information about the boreal forest or the events described in this article, please contact Amy Lewis at amy@wild.org and Maidi Andersson maidikristin@hotmail.com.