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"It's saying, 'We recognise this is precious, and that's why we have protected it for you." About the Kermadec region Juv Humpback whale breaching: Karen Baird and deeper relationships, and getting parties to work together on issues. Bronwen has built a strong global reputation in the environmental and conservation sectors for doing just that. Bronwen's conservation work started at WWF New Zealand in 1993. She moved with her husband to various posts around the world, working for WWF International in Switzerland, Brussels and Chile, to name a few. She represented WWF's programming and funding interests to the European Commission and travelled extensively (from Madagascar to Bulgaria, Latvia to Venezuela) to advise on and support WWF's large-scale conservation planning efforts. When she returned to New Zealand with her husband in 1999, Bronwen's focus turned to WWF's Asia Pacific conservation efforts. "It was challenging and immensely rewarding work – scientists, governments, business and communities coming together over time to declare protection of large areas, or establish new entities to protect and manage natural resources or create conservation partnerships between Government and the private sector." For example, parties worked together in the fishing-dependent nation of Fiji to protect 30 per cent of its marine environment. And there was one other little thing to focus on. Bronwen's son George was born in 2000. She knew that if she wanted to keep doing what she was doing, she'd need George to become part of it. With the support of her husband Nigel, Bronwen took George to his first WWF workshop in Mallorca, Spain when he was 12 weeks old. Six months later she took her first trip without George. She was facilitating a workshop in the Philippines, and admits that he was very much on her mind. "In the end I asked the participants (mostly scientists and government officials) to write a letter to George to tell him what their 2050 vision for the region was." These letters formed the basis of the vision statement developed at the workshop, and gave the participants an opportunity to describe the environment they wanted to see in the future. It was so successful that the "letters to George" strategy has been used many times since then. George, now 12, has accompanied Bronwen on many adventures around the world including trips to Washington, Geneva, Fiji, South America and Easter Island. As a result, Bronwen says, "He knows about the world. He has a real appreciation for what goes on, not just with conservation, but socially and culturally." Bronwen enjoyed the large-scale conservation planning and implementation she did with WWF, governments and other organisations. This approach required getting representatives from government, business and communities together to work on longterm plans for conserving areas. "When you do it this way, it's not 'let's save a species'. It's bigger. Now we say 'let's change the whole economics of the tuna trade,' for example. It's about finding new ways to tackle conservation challenges, at a meaningful scale, in a fast-growing modern world." She says, "How you manage say, agriculture, forestry, CO2 emissions, for • Covers about 620,000 square kilometres • "Near pristine" oceanscape • Includes the Kermadec-Tonga trench which is up to 10km deep in some areas • Reaches from the top of the North Island to Tonga • 50 underwater volcanoes • 15 islands including Raoul and Macauley • Home to 35 species of whale and dolphin, three species of turtle, 39 seabird species, 88 crustacean species and many others sustainability depends on your ability to talk the same language, share information and share ideas with those who have a political and economic interest in the future." Bronwen is driven by her determination to leave parts of the world "intact", to protect areas for future generations. She describes a recent trip to Mt Kilimanjaro, when she and husband Nigel looked out over the glaciers surrounding the otherwise barren landscape at the summit. "Scientists are saying that in 20 years' time all the snow and ice will be gone. It's astounding. Horrifying. We probably can't protect the glaciers of Kilimanjaro now, but still have the opportunity to protect some areas, like the Kermadecs." As far as Bronwen is concerned, it's about finding a balance. And thinking about what we will leave behind. "I think about what I want George's grandchildren to see and experience of our planet." www.h e rmagaz in e .co.n z | 21