- February 3-9, 2023
- Vancouver, Canada
The fifth edition of the IMPAC5 Congress dedicated to Marine Protected Areas took place in Vancouver from 3 to 9 February 2022 under the auspices of IUCN.
Held every four years, the Congress is a platform for marine conservation managers and practitioners in the context of MPAs to share knowledge and experiences, and to work together to strengthen best practices in the implementation and management of MPAs to ensure effective conservation of marine biodiversity and the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean.
IMPAC5 is in line with the decisions that will be taken by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity on the implementation of the “Strategic Biodiversity Framework” (GBF post-2020). The Congress promote the development of cooperation and partnerships for the implementation of this strategic framework applied to marine protected areas.
It was an opportunity for our team to interact with other ocean conservation professionals, government officials, indigenous leaders and youth representatives.
Our delegation attended a multitude of events including keynote speeches, interactive face-to-face and virtual sessions, and arts and cultural events. Interventions explored how to scale up ocean protection, through support for MPAs, marine spatial planning, traditional knowledge and indigenous ocean conservation initiatives, sustainable financing solutions, and technological innovations. A high-level political segment on February 8 and 9 was organized to call States to action
As a reminder, IMPAC5 was co-hosted by the host First Nations – xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) – with the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Many events were also held alongside the congress, such as the symposium of the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative -GOBI- in which Jorge Jimenéz took part to discuss the importance of preserving the thermal dome.
