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Context – A busy international agenda

France planned to host the World Conservation Congress, the IUCN General Assembly, in 2020, on the eve of COP15 Biodiversity in China. In preparation for COP15, an assessment of the objectives set by the international community in Nagoya in 2010 was underway. The World Conservation Congress would provide an opportunity to discuss these and prepare new ones.

Founded in Fontainebleau, France, in 1948, the IUCN wanted to celebrate its 70th anniversary as a reminder of its close ties with France, without asking help from France. At the end of 2017, the IUCN, an international organization based in Gland, entrusted Chances Conseil with the responsibility of designing and researching the means to create this anniversary event.

Chances Conseil’s proposal: Back to the roots of nature conservation

In view of current international negotiations, Chances Conseil suggested that this anniversary should be an opportunity to reexamine what led the pioneers of nature protection in the 19th century to preserve vast areas of nature, both in Europe and the United States. Especially since the first nature area to be protected – to be “classified” – was the forest of Fontainebleau. It was in 1861, at the request of the Barbizon Painters, that this forest was classified as an “Artistic Reserve”, so that artists could continue to paint it, before Yellowstone Park in 1872, which was protected to make it a place “free from mercantile exploitation, dedicated to the satisfaction of the people”.

This choice also has the advantage of reminding us of the major role played by the IUCN as UNESCO’s expert for the registration of nature areas under the prestigious “World Heritage” label.

Lastly, since most nature conservation is based on “objective” criteria for the status of endangered species and areas, this rather cultural theme is rarely addressed by nature conservation bodies.

Realization

“The future of landscapes, new relationships between humans and nature“: this theme was suggested and accepted by the IUCN. The City of Fontainebleau, the Île-de-France region and Kering were the partners helping to implement this event held on August 30 and 31, 2018.

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