The Incredible Impacts Programme celebrates the “beyond tourism” value of international association meetings to create a powerful platform to advocate their positive societal impact. A panel of independent judges from the association world each year determines which meetings have proven impact to award three grants of USD 7,500 on behalf of BestCities Global Alliance and ICCA.
In 2018, the Society for Ecological Restoration won one of the three grants.
Spreading knowledge of worldwide ecosystems
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) hosted a unique global forum striving to develop and advance the world’s knowledge and understanding of our ecosystems. The World Conference on Ecological Restoration hosted in Brazil in 2017 brought together the foremost experts in the rapidly emerging field for a week of networking and knowledge sharing on the latest scientific advances, environmental policy questions and innovative methods for returning ecosystems to health and vitality.
The conference attracted 1,000 delegates from more than 60 countries, creating a massive impact across the globe by promoting worldwide knowledge transfer, and facilitated paid-for attendance from delegates in developing countries, in recognition of the fact that environmental degradation is a global problem and those countries are the hardest hit. The week-long conference also gave attendees the opportunity to spend the day volunteering at a restoration site near the venue, planting trees and collecting native seed. The SER also made a donation on behalf of the event to support local restorative activities in the area to offset the conference’s footprint.
Watch the interview with Levi Wickwire, Program Manager at SER, to find out more about their approach to legacy: