Registration will open during World Ocean Week 2022
With a number of related international environmental conferences rescheduled into 2022, the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) will be postponed to 3-9 February 2023.
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada said, “Hosting the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver next year is a tremendous opportunity to showcase Canada’s leadership in ocean conservation. The twin crises of biodiversity loss and the changing climate are threatening ecosystems, which affects everything from the water we drink to the air we breathe. It demands urgent action from governments, civil society, Indigenous leaders and scientific experts and for that reason I look forward to standing and acting together with our partners and friends to protect the world’s oceans at IMPAC5 in February 2023.”
IMPAC events attract a global community of marine conservation managers and practitioners who exchange knowledge, experience and best practices to strengthen the conservation of marine biodiversity and to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean.
With these new Congress dates, participants at IMPAC5 will be well positioned to develop the ways and means to achieve the international ocean, biodiversity and climate change commitments that will be made at global events such as:
- The 57th session by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-57) – approval session for the synthesis report in Geneva, Switzerland from 26-30 September 2022;
- The G20 Leaders’ Summit 2022 in Bali, Indonesia from 30-31 October 2022; and
- The Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Kunming, China in the third quarter of 2022.
The new IMPAC5 dates will allow attendees to participate in meaningful dialogue on progress made during these meetings. Participants will also chart a detailed course for action in response to international discussion on protecting 30% of the world ocean by 2030.
The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said, “In recent years, Canada has made historic investments in ocean conservation, innovation, and sustainability. We’re striving for cleaner, more resilient coastlines and coastal communities, better preparedness for environmental challenges, stronger partnerships with Indigenous communities, and more opportunities in the blue economy. At IMPAC5, we look forward to showcasing Canada’s leadership in protecting biodiversity and working together to protect the health of our ocean now and for future generations.”
“On behalf of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, we look forward to welcoming participants from around the globe to the shared territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations for the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5). Alongside our biologists, environmental scientists and field technicians, Tsleil-Waututh works to protect, monitor and restore Tsleil-Waututh lands and waters. As a Nation, we support this date change and we look forward to continuing the good work that will be done coming out of this congress”, adds Chief Jen Thomas, Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
Registration for IMPAC5 will open during World Ocean Week (3-12 June, 2022) with early registration discounts available for the first 90 days. More than 720 presentation proposals from 78 countries were submitted to IMPAC5. Those who submitted will be contacted by the end of April 2022 regarding the acceptance of their proposals.
Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS National Executive Director commented, “The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is a proud key partner of the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) and looks forward to co-hosting Indigenous conservation leaders, VIP delegates, and marine protection professionals from around the world in Vancouver in February 2023. The new dates of the congress provide the best opportunity for the brightest minds in ocean conservation to build on the critical outcomes anticipated at the CBD-COP and G20 environment meetings taking place later this year. IMPAC5 is a forum for Canada to demonstrate leadership on marine protection, anchor international ocean conservation goals, and establish viable strategies to protect at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.”
Minna Epps, Director, IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme added, “As co-host we welcome every single one connected to MPA creation, management, and continuation. IMPAC5 will now take place at one of the most fertile times of the year for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Northern Hemisphere and Vancouver will be a perfect showcase location. We look forward to advancing the understanding and tools that will support marine protected areas and link them around the globe.”
