Nature Canada, Canada’s oldest national nature conservation charity, recently recognized Ms. Inger Andersen, Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as its 151st member of Women for Nature.
Ms. Inger Andersen, was featured as a keynote speaker at Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) annual conference in Ottawa at the Westin Hotel. More than 600 people attended Andersen’s keynote address.
As Director General of IUCN, Ms. Inger Andersen emphasizes the importance of nature conservation to help achieve sustainable development. “Nature is not an obstacle to human aspirations,” says Ms. Andersen, “It is an essential partner, offering valuable contributions towards all our endeavours. We should all take a moment to stop, think and stand up for our greatest ally – Nature.”
Under her leadership, IUCN’s Commission for Education and Communications launched #NatureForAll and the #NatureForAll Playbook, modeled after the Canadian Parks Council’s The Nature Playbook, to help build community support for nature conservation by engaging more individuals to take action for nature. This is now a global movement with more than 175 partners such as Nature Canada, Parks Canada, and SFI connecting people to nature across 36 countries.
“Nature Canada is delighted Ms. Inger Andersen has become our 151st Women for Nature, said Ms. Sheefra Brisbin, Vice-Chair of Nature Canada’s Board of Directors and a Women for Nature member. “Ms. Andersen’s work as a champion and role model for the important place that nature plays in our lives is at the heart of Nature Canada’s efforts to connect youth with nature in order to protect our precious wildlife and habitats.”
“Recognizing Inger is a perfect launching point to take Women for Nature beyond Canada’s borders. I can’t think of anyone who is better placed to achieve our shared goals of elevating the importance of biodiversity and youth engagement, than a woman leader of one of the world’s largest and most powerful conservation organizations,” said Kathy Abusow, SFI Inc.’s President and CEO. Abusow is also a founding member of Women for Nature.