By Karl Wagner
It’s a long trip from Europe to Rapid City in South Dakota, U.S.A., where the 12th World Wilderness Congress – WILD12 – was held, but I am glad I went. The physical distance was dwarfed by the emotional and ecological separation between the Indigenous people of He Sápa (the Black Hills), the sacred territory of the Native American Lakota people, where WILD12 was hosted. This land is currently faced with the impacts of mining, including biodiversity loss and water pollution. Phil Two Eagle, Executive Host of WILD12 and Executive Director of the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council (the traditional stewards of the Black Hills), shared a heartwarming message for the participants, urging them to help retrieve their land, which they have cared for for thousands of years. “We want people to walk away with a new understanding of reconnecting with Mother Nature,” he said, which truly set the tone for the Congress.
In my eyes, WILD12 was a transformative event for the global wilderness movement and a slight, but crucial, departure from previous WILD Congresses. Owing to the remote location, there were fewer participants than in Merida, Mexico (WILD 9) and Salamanca, Spain (WILD10), which created a more intense connect between presenters and the audience. This was especially true for the dialogue between Western conservationists and native tribal people.
Philimon D. Two Eagle, WILD12’s Executive Director and Executive Director of the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council, addresses the crowd during closing ceremonies while Claude Two Elk, Dr. Stephanie O. Little Hawk-Big Crow, WILD’s Amy Lewis, Jennifer Meyer, and Adam Hanson listen on. Speakers and organisers of WILD12 highlighted how the extinction crisis is intrinsically tied to both the dispossession of Indigenous people and human-caused climate change. Photo Courtesy: WILD 12.
Previous WILD Congresses, initiated in 1976, emphasised preserving existing wilderness and connecting them with corridors. This time, half of the presentations circled around ‘rewilding’ – bringing back functional ecosystems and ‘wilderness’ to currently degraded lands and seas (Read all about rewilding in our Sanctuary Asia October 2023 issue). This mirrors the growing understanding that merely protecting what’s left will not be enough, since there isn’t that much wilderness remaining. Despite all efforts to preserve it, wild, intact nature is shrinking daily, both in quality and quantity.
Rewilding means pressing the reset button. Several presentations provided proof that this is not only possible, but that nature returns much faster than we presumed, provided we give it enough space and reduce its exploitation, which often focuses on maximising the extraction of single, tradable commodities.
Humanity’s accumulated understanding and insight into natural processes and the root causes of the degradation of natural systems, coupled with the existing technology of the 21st Century – such as alternative food production – would allow a truly sustainable mode of living and a life of dignity for all eight billion humans, while enabling the comeback of nature and wildlife, along with the ecosystem services that functioning ecosystems provide.
This does mean a shift in worldview and in belief systems that, since the start of the industrial revolution, have dominated human societal development, leading to the dire state of the planet’s health that we witness today. The world has become global and interconnected, and as we begin to better understand planetary boundaries, there is no longer a place to hide from the truth.
The ‘rewilding’ aspect added a welcoming, dynamic and inspiring element that was felt throughout the Congress.
For the first time, the marine realm was also properly considered and addressed, ending what seems to be an artificial separation between terrestrial and marine wilderness and conservation approaches.
WILD12 became a watershed moment in integrating classic conservation approaches with the thoughts and emotions of Indigenous people, who play a crucial role in healing the planet.
For a long time, the wilderness movement has recognised the importance of Indigenous stewardship of land and sea. The relevance of Indigenous people’s role in protecting wilderness can be easily visualised by overlaying Indigenous-controlled and owned land with remaining wild nature areas.
However, and this might be my personal experience alone, I have always felt that Western conservationists talk science, facts and data with a near-total emphasis on intellect and thinking, while Indigenous people express spiritual worldviews and feelings. The closest we came to a joint understanding might be Gaia and Mother Earth, but even Gaia is viewed by Western conservationists as a scientific concept, not a spiritual one.
Wild12 participants called for the acceleration of land restoration for and to Indigenous people – alongside restoration of Indigenous decision-making authority about how to manage those lands. Acclaimed hoop dancers Dallas Chief Eagle and his daughter, Starr Chief Eagle, put on a performance for WILD12 delegates. Photo Courtesy: WILD 12.
We intellectually understand the pain of loss of land, culture, the ability to lead one’s way of life; of suppression, of being rudely dominated by a worldview that is based largely on profit, exploitation, and head-thinking – but can we really feel this pain? Can we connect with nature in the way Indigenous people call spiritual? If not, we will find it difficult to emotionally and spiritually ‘understand’ the world of Indigenous people. Can we feel ‘Mother Earth’, or is it just a couple of words for us?
I believe that Indigenous people by and large fully understand Westerners and see through us; while we might think we understand them; few of us really do.
Probably the most transformative aspect for me, and all other participants I spoke with, was that the intimate setting provided by WILD12 allowed me to connect with native Americans with other means than intellect – feeling it, not thinking it.
This was partly because tribal representatives told their life stories and gave us deep insight into their culture, worldview, and traditions. They shared their feelings and beliefs with us, but also showed that there is an alternative way of ‘managing’ and living off the land, based on millennia of experience, which is the reason why so much of their land is still wild and functional.
This knowledge has become crucial as we understand that we need to change our ways and adopt holistic, systemic approaches. We can already see how ancient techniques of land management through controlled fire are being adopted in Australia and the US as the best – and perhaps only – way to maintain ecosystem functions while avoiding catastrophic megafires in the age of climate heating.
WILD12 enriched me personally and helped me better understand the world of Indigenous people. This will certainly impact my work in rewilding, and I am sure others share my experience. I am looking forward to the follow-up and the next WILD Congress.
Karl Wagner is the Managing Director of Global Rewilding Alliance, a group of over 100 practitioner and messenger organisations across the globe, working on ecosystem conservation and restoration initiatives.
