WILD9 - The 9th World Wilderness Congress

For the first time ever, the WWC will convene in Latin America from 6-13 November, in the city of Merida, Yucatan, in the heart of the Mayan world. Many of the world's leading conservation experts, politicians, academics, corporations, artists, native peoples, students and many others will gather in Merida, Mexico to debate and act upon the most urgent environmental issues of our time.

With Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón as the Honorary Host of WILD9, the schedule is already filled with leading names in conservation today. Wilderness and Climate Change is a central theme – driving the message that protecting wild nature eliminates at least 1/4 of the carbon threat.

WILD9 is a project of The WILD Foundation, Unidos para la Conservacion, and many collaborating organizations, institutions and government agencies from Latin America and around the world.

Other topics such as Freshwater and Underground Wilderness, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Fire in Nature, Transboundary Conservation and Connectivity, Marine and Oceanic Wilderness, and the Role of Human Communities in Nature will guide the trainings, plenary sessions, local excursions, working and poster sessions, cultural events and celebrations. In one of many associated sessions, the world’s best conservation photographers will participate in the first RAVE (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) of Mexico’s unique Yucatan Peninsula.

James Balog, a professional American photographer whose work revolves around the relationship between humans and nature, will present a keynote during the plenary sessions at WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress. It will be an eye opening to hear about Balog’s photography experiences and conservation work!

James Balog has garnered numerous awards, including the Leica Medal of Excellence, premier awards for nature and science photography from World Press Photo, the 2007 Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure and the 2008 Outstanding Photographer of the Year from the North American Nature Photography Association. He has exhibited work at more than a hundred museums and galleries around the world, and is the author of seven books. Balog was the first photographer ever commissioned to create a full plate of stamps for the U.S. Postal Service, a 1996 release featuring America’s endangered wildlife.

For the most up-to-date information, visit the WILD 9 website regularly and be sure to visit the page dedicated to The Land of The Maya !