The sixth World Parks Congress took place in Sydney, Australia, from November 12th – 19th, 2014, representing a landmark forum on protected areas, which advanced the achievements of the previous Congress in Durban, 2003 and proposed new conservation actions and alternatives for the future. Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Australian and New South Wales Governments, the event brought together more than 6,000 participants from over 170 countries.

       The Congress’ main goal was to share knowledge and innovation, setting the agenda for protected areas conservation for the decade to come. Building on the theme "Parks, people, planet: inspiring solutions", it presented and discussed original approaches for conservation and development, by also proposing nature- based solutions that support sustainable development.

       For the CFA, the World Parks Congress represented the opportunity to promote conservation finance to the forefront of the global agenda and stimulate ideas around innovative and traditional sources of funding for biodiversity conservation, with particular focus on Protected Areas. 

       CFA’s strategic presence at Sydney’s WPC was consistent with its core mission to promote sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation worldwide. To accomplish its mission, the 600-member network has been facilitating global collaboration among organizations and individuals committed to promoting conservation finance solutions and developing tools to optimize conservation finance capacity. 

       For further reading on the CFA's presence at the 2014 WPC, a detailed report on our activities is available for download.