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Key
People
Only through
the involvement and support of a large number of people will the
Vth IUCN World Parks Congress be a success. There are, however,
some very noteworthy faces behind the event.
Yolanda
Kakabadse, President of IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Achim
Steiner, Director General IUCN
David
Sheppard, Secretary General, World Parks Congress
Kenton
Miller, Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas and Chair
of the World Parks Congress International Steering Committee
Bob Stanton,
Congress Ambassador, Former Director, US National Park Service
Walter
Lusigi, Africa and the World Parks Congress
Mavuso
Msimang, Chair of the World Parks Congress National Steering Committee
Yolanda
Kakabadse, President of IUCN - The
World Conservation Union
"Protected areas have always been critical to IUCN's business
and mission. They represent a field where the Union can truly claim,
with much pride, a position of global leadership.The next Congress,
the first in Africa, has a special significance.
It
promises to be pivotal to IUCN and its members. I want especially
to express our gratitude to the Government of South Africa for their
enthusiastic support of the Congress in Durban in 2003."
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Achim
Steiner, Director General IUCN
"The IUCN World Parks Congress is without a doubt the world's
key platform for developing protected areas knowledge and practice.
It is also a forum for society at
large to assess and debate the role of protected areas in the broader
economic, political and landscape context. "
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David
Sheppard, Secretary General, World Parks Congress
"This World Parks Congress will provide the ideal opportunity
to assess the achievements of protected areas policy in the last
century, and, more importantly, to set an agenda for these priceless
areas in the 21st Century. We are committed to
reaching out to all sectors involved with protected areas. The Congress
will be an outstanding event that reinforces the vital role of protected
areas in society, and establishes a farsighted agenda for their
protection
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Kenton
Miller, Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas and Chair
of the World Parks Congress International Steering Committee
"For nearly 40 years, WCPA has been instrumental in organising
all previous Parks
Congresses. As the current Chair, my aim is to make Durban 2003
our most successful Parks Congress ever. The Durban Congress will
focus on landscape and ecosystem approaches; the development of
tools to help managers cope with a changing world; and ways to deliver
benefits beyond protected area boundaries."
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Bob Stanton,
Congress Ambassador, Former Director, US National Park Service
"Having stepped down as Director in 2001, I eagerly accepted
the important role of
Congress Ambassador for the 2003 World Parks Congress. I will be
working to promote the Congress and seek support from a wide range
of people. The support and commitment of many colleagues and partners
is the crucial ingredient for an outstanding Congress."
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Walter
Lusigi, Africa and the World Parks Congress
"The Parks Congress offers us a unique opportunity to focus
on protected areas in
the African context. It will be a time to reflect on the issues
facing these areas, the
special needs of Africa, and the directions that must be taken for
a viable future. I
will be working hard to ensure that Durban 2003 leaves a lasting
and beneficial
legacy for Africa's magnificent protected areas."
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Mavuso
Msimang, Chair of the World Parks Congress National Steering Committee
"The countries of southern Africa are fortunate to have many
magnificent national
parks and nature reserves and we look forward to a stimulating exchange
of
experiences with protected area managers from around the world,
not only during
the Congress itself, but throughout the period of planning and preparation."
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