Excerpt from iucn.org

Youths play important leadership roles in ocean conservation and the protection of marine areas. From the IUCN Congress in Marseilles to the more recent United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, young professionals are mobilising and taking action to protect the world’s oceans.

Young people will make up approximately one-third of all participants at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5). Their perspectives will help shape the thematic discussions that will take place at the Congress in Vancouver from 3-9 February 2023.

IMPAC5 aims to provide an opportunity for the global community of marine conservation managers, practitioners, and decision-makers to exchange knowledge, experience, and best practices to strengthen marine biodiversity conservation and protect the ocean’s natural and cultural heritage.

From the Pacific, six individuals have been selected to participate in IMPAC5 through financial support from the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme, the IMPAC1 Organising Committee, IUCN Oceania and Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).