Nasome "Awakening the Dreamer" Facilitators Group

We are at a turning point in the history of the global environmental movement. As IUCN celebrates its 60th anniversary, and marks six decades of global conservation achievement, it is also taking stock of the urgent challenges facing life on earth and reviewing its strategies.

IUCN has always stood up for the protection of life and defended the diversity and beauty of the natural world. The imperative of caring for the earth and people has never been greater, and yet the challenges ahead are bigger than anything we have ever faced before, and business as usual is no longer an option. There are no simple solutions. The challenges are too big for one sector, one country, and one strategy to address alone. We need to face the changes ahead with vision, with courage, with compassion for all life on earth – and in collaboration with others.

How do we do this? This paper calls for a transition to sustainability, but more than that, it calls for the environmental movement to make a step-change in helping society live lightly and equitably on the earth.

We must demonstrate the relevance of our knowledge to all sectors of society because we all depend on biodiversity, and in a language that people can understand. We need to play a role in rethinking real wealth and in reinventing economic systems that are fit for a single planet. We need to rejuvenate the environmental movement and develop institutions that are responsive, dynamic, equitable and resilient. We need to develop practical tools and coherent political strategies to help us make the transition. Above all we must go beyond counting the problems and ‘doom and gloom’ messages to fostering the vision that gives us hope and that inspires us to change.