 Welcome to ThinkTech on OC16, Hawaii's weekly newscast on things that matter to tech and to Hawaii. I'm Jay Fidel. And I'm Kaui Lucas. ThinkTech tries hard to cover the important happenings in Hawaii and to bring you in-depth analysis with the people making those things happen. Debuting for the first time on U.S. soil and the biggest international event ever to take place in Hawaii was the IUCN's World Conservation Congress held in early September. The IUCN is the international union for the conservation of nature. Not only did ThinkTech provide a daily update from the convention center, we interviewed dozens of the more than 10,000 participants from Hawaii and around the world. A number of ThinkTech show hosts, including the host of sustainable Hawaii, Kirsten Turner, joined the international media to report what was happening at the Congress. No one put the Congress in greater perspective than the man responsible for bringing it together, Chipper Wickman, president and CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. We're here on the exhibit floor, which is open to the public. And getting into the IUCN's regular agenda for this was really, really competitive. There were thousands of people trying to get into the knowledge cafes and workshops. And what we recognize is that would only give a fraction of our terror roots people an opportunity to participate. So we created a really vibrant, exciting series of opportunities through the Hawaii Pacific Pavilion, which is programmed nonstop day from morning to night with practitioners from across the islands. I was there with MacPoi Poi yesterday afternoon from Molokai talking about La Valle Pono, you know, how well they're the right Pono fishing practices. So it's been so exciting to see this, to see our people from across the Pai Aina, across our archipelago, being able to engage with the world. I just got the update. We have 10,100 people registered in this Congress from 192 countries. This is the largest environmental meeting in the history of the world. The largest WCC in the history of IUCN, I mean, this is, it succeeded all of our expectations. You know, when we were embarking on this, I said all along, I have no doubt we will host the best world Congress the world has ever seen. I mean, we could do that blindfolded. We know how to party. We know how hospitality is us, we're it. But if this Congress blows out of town and there's no legacy left behind, we've failed. We have wasted eight years of our life and a lot of money. So what's left behind, the legacy is critical, youth engagement. We are inspiring, there's going to be over a thousand youth here doing systems thinking at this Congress, learning from these incredible people from around the world, but also being inspired by our own solutions to problems that have been developed on islands. Inspiring our youth in the next generation is an important legacy. At the opening ceremony, the governor stood up and he talked about creating a biosecurity plan, an interagency biosecurity plan. That was my bucket list legacy thing. If we can create a biosecurity plan for our state that will protect us from more invasive species and invasive diseases and things that are eroding the integrity of our incredible biodiversity here, that is one of the most significant things. I'd just like to add that this Congress, the energy level in this room here and on the different levels, the energy level at the opening reception on the roof where Jack Johnson was playing and 7,000 people were screaming and it is so inspirational. One of the reasons that I really felt that the world could come here is islands are evolutionary engines. Because of isolation, they create an environment where species evolve and become new, but islands are also at the cutting edge of all of the issues that create endangerment, climate change and invasive species and so islands are forced to lead the way. We also have the ability to scale unique programs and that work on islands that can be applied to continental areas. So I thought, how important is it for the world to come and see what islands are doing, what we're doing here in Hawaii and at the opening ceremony you heard from the Pacific Island leaders, islands of the Pacific will lead the way forward for our planet. Of course, it took many Hawaii agencies to make this huge international event a success. DLNR, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources was front and center. Hawaii's got front and center. We're the first pavilion you see in the exhibition hall where we have exhibits and demonstrations and discussions and forums all day long, every day during the public forum and we've got presentations in the whole conference. We have many dozens of opportunities for people to engage in Hawaii conservation in the middle of opportunities to engage in global conservation issues. This is such an exciting event for Hawaii. I mean, if you just walk around the convention center here, everywhere you see thousands of people from all over the world and all over Hawaii in an incredible opportunity to learn all kinds of things about conservation and to share and to talk to each other, to bump into somebody that you've met on another island or in another country who's working on something really incredible that you can just catch up and exchange ideas and get new ideas. It's just tremendously exciting for us here in Hawaii. Hi, good friend, how much familiar? Hi. Great to see you. Tell us about your albatross book. Ah, Holy Moly, albatross and other ancestors is the name of the book. Moly is the Hawaiian word for albatross, so Holy Moly, an expression we all use, an expression of joy, an expression of, look at that amazing thing. That's why I called it that, Holy Moly. Albatross are amazing species that almost no one in the world will ever get to see and so on the island of Kauai though, they do nest among people for the first time ever and so there's an opportunity to get to know who they are. I had an amazing opportunity to be in some private colonies and to witness them, so I wrote stories about them. My goal was to write a book whose words were as beautiful as the birds themselves. Everything about them is superlative, extraordinary beings and since most people won't ever to be around them, I felt compelled to share who they are with everyone so people could get a sense of these critters in our world and want to help them, want to help to protect them. Kirsten also provided insights into the World Conservation Congress Forum which preceded the members assembly where final actions were voted on. Through a variety of venues including knowledge cafes, workshops, conservation cases and high level dialogues, the forum provided an opportunity for countries, regions and transnational partnerships to showcase their initiatives. These covered deforestation, ocean acidification, protections against invasive species and international trafficking in endangered wild animals. The more than 1200 forum events ran for 14 hours every day from 7 in the morning till 9 at night. Many of them took place in the large regional and subject area pavilions like this one, the oceans pavilion. Going out with NOAA with navigating change. The forum was the hub of public debate where IUCN members and participants from 200 countries discussed and developed solutions to the world's most pressing conservation challenges. In addition to being hosts of this year's event, Hawaii's government agencies, private sector organizations and partnerships like the Hawaii Conservation Alliance presented over 100 sessions and facilitated many of the workshops trying to resolve the impacts of marine ecotourism around the world. Hawaii was also very well represented by numerous organizations that provided important information for the public at interactive booths in the main exhibition hall. Perhaps the most impressive was the lion arboretum's booth made with all natural and recycled materials. We're able to interact with the best conservation scientists and policy makers and people involved in biological conservation all over the globe. Part of that is that we can learn a great deal from many people and I think the other part is that we have a lot to share. We're able to feature the programs that we have here that others might be interested and benefit from and we have a lot to be proud of, a lot of things that we have going on here in Hawaii that are important in this area. We have about 22,000 accessions of plants, over 5,000 different species of plants. What this display is really featuring is our important work on native Hawaiian plants, particularly those that are very, very rare and this display describes our partnership with the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, a state program, and also the Laukahi Network, which is a coordination effort that lion arboretum and Pepsi is a part of, to collect the plants in the wild, to conserve them as a genetic safety net, preserve them from extinction, and eventually to get them back planted into the wild, so that's what we're really emphasizing. In terms of the plants, there's sadly too many to name. We have, I think about 1,400 native plants here in Hawaii and a large percentage of those, 75% or more are endangered or threatened and what we're particularly focusing on is those that are critically endangered and that have fewer than about 50 plants left in the wild. That is the particular focus of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program and when they collect the materials, so there's hundreds that they've brought to us and we keep them as seed or as tissue culture plants, grow them in our greenhouses and then look towards replanting them in wild areas where we can assure that they'll survive. Some of the other organizations represented included the Nature Conservancy in Hawaii, Maui Ocean Center, the Kauai Seabird Habitat Conservation Program, Blue Planet Energy, Kauai Nauulu Awamo, Kupu, the East-West Center, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and of course all the universities. Judging from the activity and the crowds, the most popular exhibit of all seemed to be the Hawaii and Pacific Islands Pavilion. Pacific Pavilion and right now the development and conservation. I've been conservation minded since I was a little kid and you know I'm an artist so I felt strongly that art could play a role so I've painted a hundred you know ocean murals around the world and finished that in Beijing for the Cultural Olympics, the Green Olympics and to be invited here to share my art and the message of conservation is a big honor so hats off to all these great people like Dr. Sylvia Earl and Dr. Greg Stone and Nainoa Thompson one of my heroes for the Hokaleya and there's just so many good people here and it's a lot bigger than anybody thought but it needs to be because this is the most critical time in history. We need an environmental renaissance period and the way we get that is really grassroots. You know if you have conservation in your heart and mind you can do anything because the cause really drives you and it certainly has drove my art from the very beginning. I came to Hawaii in 1979 to study specifically to study humpback whales that I'm depicting in this mural so I moved to Lahaina and eventually I moved over to Oahu and painted a giant ocean mural there and and then you know the North Shore is where I live right at Kavella Bay. So I see the ocean every day and I see the problems and I see also so many great people like Jack Johnson performed here live so he brings the music I bring the art you bring what you bring everybody brings something to it and we can change the world together. I busted him too you know I used to mentor him when he was 17 and he's one of my my heroes, Gary Cousteau, watch out for this kid. But Jack Cousteau really inspired me when I was a kid growing up in Michigan. The Hawaii and Pacific Islands Pavilion was the center of discussion about the recognition of the role of indigenous peoples as the traditional source of ecosystem conservation knowledge particularly those from the islands most threatened by climate change. We are an island state and we have so much in common with the people here that are represented from 187 nations. We have found common causes we have found common problems and common solutions and these things we hope in four years will be done and we can move on with other bigger matters. But what I have expressed in many of these things as much as you want to be a conservative we must address greed and power because those things are the evils that unless addressed will continue to have these problems. Aloha. The Pacific Islands Pavilion was also the happening place in the evenings where attendees went to wind down a group from New Zealand inspired the crowd with their traditional dance. The same group had the crowd shaking off their long conference day with a little reggae dancing. The international visitors were visibly impressed with what was going on. Kirsten spoke with Priscilla Tumenta Fobuzzi representing the Center for the Environment and Development in Cameroon. I represent the Center for Environment and Development Studies in Cameroon which is a center that works on environmental issues. We do sustainable development and research to adapt to the changing climatic conditions. I'm here at the Congress to join forces with other conservationists because it's only by coming together that we can fight the battle against climate change. I think it's not a one-month one-month thing we have to do it together. That's why I'm here. I'm here to share my experiences and to learn from the other researchers, other conservationists and the Hawaiians how they are protecting their environment. We see lots and lots of more politicians governments NGOs committing. I think we see more political will. Everybody is becoming more conscious, more aware and wanting to do something to to to to take care of the changing negative effects that we are experiencing today in the environment. I think it's a great success that we're here. Yeah Hawaii is lovely. It's a lovely island and the people are welcoming I'll say and the few days that I've been here I like the place because for once it's like where I'm coming from the climate is not much different so I think I enjoy it. Kirsten also spoke with J. Michael Vakili from the Indo-German biodiversity program. So my name is Michael Vakili. I'm working for the German organization called GIZ which is basically the organization that implements projects from the of the German government with partner countries and in this case our partner country is India and here we have a large Indo-German biodiversity program and within this program we have different projects that are dealing with the three E's that you see behind you. Ecology, economy and equity. For conservation to work and for people to buy into it you also have to show the economic value of conservation. So bringing on the the evaluation of ecosystems and their services that is very important. So in the range of projects that we are supporting here you have them all listed here some five of them. We have then a project for some that looks into participatory approaches to set up marine protected areas in India. We have a project called TEEP that looks into the economic evaluation. We have done studies I would love to show you that for example a vulture in India which gets rid of all the carcass of that cows is worth eleven thousand dollar and people had never known about this. They only know it now because the vulture has disappeared because of the widespread use of declofenac. I'm a marine biologist by training and having had the chance to participate in the official declaration of the largest marine protected area is sort of something very close to my heart and I really congratulate the people of Hawaii to be the one because for almost 15 years of my professional career we have been hammering down this message we need more protected area so you are now really the forerunner so in this respect it is for me I really feel proud to be here. Clearly the expansion of the Papa Hanao Mokuakea Marine National monument by President Obama left a huge impression on our international visitors putting Hawaii in the forefront of the marine conservation community. The timing was perfect. My name is Surupon Duong Kha from Thailand Society for Protection of Protein to Animals. We came here because we interested in to joy to share about the wildlife trafficking and about the impact of ecotourism to extremely to the marine animals and I think it's quite interesting that there are many issues here it's not only our wildlife conservation but it's also about the people about how to to share together for every living organism you know to live in the world this is a very good point. I came here to to hear about the energy of the species because in Thailand some are on trade and some are curative by by the schools so I myself put the animal act into the parliament and now approve already and I want to hear that what I can help to protect the wildlife energies. We can be proud of the way our state was showcased at the congress in addition to the millions of dollars spent on hotel rooms meals and excursions the measures passed by the member organizations will go down in history as the Hawaii commitments. These commitments include among others those introduced by our very own UH law students they call for global action about marine debris preventing the introduction of harmful new marine organisms to pacific waters responses to climate change community-based natural resource management sustainable growth the importance of environmental courts as well as the first ever affirmation of the role of indigenous people and culture in conservation efforts. What happened is worth studying to find out more about the IUCN and the World Conservation Congress go to IUCNworldconservationcongress.org and at the very end of the day we certainly need to recognize and thank the hundreds of Hawaii volunteers that helped make the Congress such a great success. Mahalo Nui Loa to all of them. And now let's take a look at our ThinkTech counter of events going forward. There's so much happening in Hawaii sometimes things happen under the radar and we don't hear much about them but ThinkTech can take you there. Remember you can watch ThinkTech on OC16 several times every week to stay current on what's happening in government and in communities around the state. Remember also that ThinkTech broadcasts its daily talk shows live on the internet from 11 a.m to 5 p.m on weekdays then we broadcast our earlier shows all night long. If you miss the show you want to replay or share any of our shows they're all archived on ThinkTechHawaii.com and YouTube. For our audio stream go to ThinkTechHawaii.com slash radio. Visit ThinkTechHawaii.com for our weekly calendar and live stream and YouTube links or sign up on our email list and get the daily docket of our upcoming shows. ThinkTech has a high tech green screen studio at Pioneer Plaza. If you want to be part of our live audience or if you want to participate in our programs and help us raise public awareness in Hawaii contact me jay at ThinkTechHawaii.com. Give us a thumbs up on YouTube or send us a tweet at ThinkTechHI. We'd like to know how you feel about the issues and events that affect our lives in Hawaii. We want to stay in touch with you and we'd like you to stay in touch with us. Let's think together. If you'd like to speak out on an issue or event you can. We love the First Amendment and we love hearing from our viewers. You can come down to our speaker's corner and make a video statement on the web. See ThinkTechHawaii.com. And you can call in and join our talk shows live. While you're watching any of our shows you can call in at 415-871-2474 and pose a question or make a comment. We'll be right back to wrap up this week's edition of ThinkTech. But first we want to thank our underwriters. Okay, Kauaii. That wraps up this week's edition of ThinkTech. Remember you can watch ThinkTech on OC16 several times every week. Can't get enough of it just like Kauaii does. For additional times check out oc16.tv. For lots more ThinkTech videos and for underwriting and sponsorship opportunities on ThinkTech visit ThinkTechHawaii.com. Be a guest or a host, a producer or an intern and help us reach and have an impact on Hawai'i. Thanks so much for being part of our ThinkTech family and for supporting our open discussion of things that matter to tech and to Hawai'i. You can watch this show throughout the week and tune in next Sunday evening for our next important weekly episode. I'm Jay Fiedel. And I'm Kauaii Lucas. Aloha everyone.