Her Article Library > Power Profile > Making the Globe a little Golder
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Making the Globe a little Golder When Bronwen Golder married her diplomat husband, she knew she’d need to find an extraordinary job that allowed her to work all over the world Having worked across a range of sectors in several countries, Bronwen Golder already knew she wanted to work in community development. The trick was finding a job that would allow her to combine the two. She found it at WWF New Zealand, an extraordinary job that launched a career in conservation and development spanning political, geographical, and cultural boundaries for the past 20 years. And counting. These days, Bronwen’s focus is closer to home: as Director of the Pew Environment Group’s Global Ocean Legacy Kermadec initiative, she is working to secure the creation of a New Zealand marine reserve bigger than the size of France. It is, she says, a vital goal, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. As Director of Pew, Bronwen’s mission is to convince the New Zealand government to designate the 620,000 sq km Kermadec region (just north of the North Island) as a marine reserve. The area is home to 35 species of whale and dolphin, three species of turtle and 39 seabirds, 88 crustacean species and many others. And, says Bronwen, it’s well worth saving for our children and their children. When asked why she got into conservation, Bronwen laughs, “It’s complicated.” At the time, she was frustrated by the way non-government organisations (NGOs) engaged with government and could see more value in developing stronger and deeper relationships, and getting parties to work together on issues. Bronwen has built a strong global reputation in the environmental and conservation sectors for doing just that. Bronwen’s conservation work started at WWF New Zealand in 1993. She moved with her husband to various posts around the world, working for WWF International in Switzerland, Brussels and Chile, to name a few. She represented WWF’s programming and funding interests to the European Commission and travelled extensively (from Madagascar to Bulgaria, Latvia to Venezuela) to advise on and support WWF’s large-scale conservation planning efforts. When she returned to New Zealand with her husband in 1999, Bronwen’s focus turned to WWF’s Asia Pacific conservation efforts. “It was challenging and immensely rewarding work – scientists, governments, business and communities coming together over time to declare protection of large areas, or establish new entities to protect and manage natural resources or create conservation partnerships between Government and the private sector.” For example, parties worked together in the fishing-dependent nation of Fiji to protect 30 per cent of its marine environment. And there was one other little thing to focus on. Bronwen’s son George was born in 2000. She knew that if she wanted to keep doing what she was doing, she’d need George to become part of it. With the support of her husband Nigel, Bronwen took George to his first WWF workshop in Mallorca, Spain when he was 12 weeks old. Six months later, she took her first trip without George. She was facilitating a workshop in the Philippines, and admits that he was very much on her mind. “In the end I asked the participants (mostly scientists and government officials) to write a letter to George to tell him what their 2050 vision for the region was.” These letters formed the basis of the vision statement developed at the workshop, and gave the participants an opportunity to describe the environment they wanted to see in the future. It was so successful that the “letters to George” strategy has been used many times since then. George, now 12, has accompanied Bronwen on many adventures around the world including trips to Washington, Geneva, Fiji, South America and Easter Island. As a result, Bronwen says, “He knows about the world. He has a real appreciation for what goes on, not just with conservation, but socially and culturally.” Bronwen enjoyed the large-scale conservation planning and implementation she did with WWF, governments and other organisations. This approach required getting representatives from government, business and communities together to work on long-term plans for conserving areas. “When you do it this way, it’s not ‘let’s save a species’. It’s bigger. Now we say ‘let’s change the whole economics of the tuna trade,’ for example. It’s about finding new ways to tackle conservation challenges, at a meaningful scale, in a fast-growing modern world.” She says, “How you manage say, agriculture, forestry, CO2 emissions, for sustainability depends on your ability to talk the same language, share information and share ideas with those who have a political and economic interest in the future.” Bronwen is driven by her determination to leave parts of the world “intact”, to protect areas for future generations. She describes a recent trip to Mt Kilimanjaro, when she and husband Nigel looked out over the glaciers surrounding the otherwise barren landscape at the summit. “Scientists are saying that in 20 years’ time, all the snow and ice will be gone. It’s astounding. Horrifying. We probably can’t protect the glaciers of Kilimanjaro now, but we still have the opportunity to protect some areas, like the Kermadecs.” As far as Bronwen is concerned, it’s about finding a balance. And thinking about what we will leave behind. “I think about what I want George’s grandchildren to see and experience of our planet.” Bronwen’s work with Kermadecs Bronwen leads Pew’s Global Ocean Legacy Kermadec campaign team (which includes scientists, artists, writers and non-government organization representatives). In 2009, when her husband’s posting to Chile ended, she and her family returned to New Zealand. A year later she was approached to lead Pew Environment Group’s Global Ocean Legacy Kermadec initiative. Two and a half years on, she describes the campaign as “a work in progress”. The team is working hard to convince the government to create a Kermadec sanctuary, by sharing the story of the region, talking about its natural value and New Zealand’s opportunity to be seen as a visionary and respectful steward of a globally significant area of ocean. “Creating a Kermadecs sanctuary is our opportunity to do something significant and positive, before it becomes threatened,” says Bronwen. It’ saying, ‘We recognise this is precious, and that’s why we have protected it for everyone.’ I just think it’s our responsibility.” Bronwen works closely with the government, MPs and the private sector to share this vision and gain support for a Kermadec sanctuary. She also puts her efforts into raising the public profile of the Kermadecs as “a special and sensitive” New Zealand ocean space. “A lot of New Zealanders don’t know the Kermadecs is part of our country or what makes it so important. Because of its near-pristine complex natural environment – with 50 underwater volcanoes and the Kermadec-Tonga trench (which is up to 10km deep in some places) – it’s home to hundreds of species, many of which are unique to the area.” To help get the message out, Bronwen speaks to thousands of people each year at various meetings, hosts and supports international speakers at conferences and even takes people to the region so they can understand and share the story to a wider audience. In May 2011, Bronwen took nine acclaimed artists on the HMNZS Otago to the Kermadecs to experience the region, and gain inspiration for artistic works that are now being shared with audiences in New Zealand and around the world. The Kermadec team are not the only ones talking about the Kermadecs these days. Scientists and artists are talking about it, and children are entranced by it. Film Director James Cameron has inspired scientists, artists and researchers with his stories of the ‘dark continent’ (deep sea) and Sir Peter Blake Young Voyagers have returned from their trip to the Kermadecs with tales to tell and new goals for themselves – some changing their University study courses to marine biology. The story is getting out there, and according to Bronwen, the further the better. “We need to think about preserving as many of these precious areas as we can. The Kermadec region is almost perfect, so it’s all the more important we protect it.” Bronwen says other governments are getting the message and designating marine reserves in their EEZs [exclusive economic zone]. “The Australian government has recently designated the Coral Sea because it wanted to take responsibility for its part of the world’s oceans. That’s exactly what we need to do here.” Top 6 tips on how to make real change in our country and community
More information Pew Environment Group www.pewenvironment.org.nz Kermadecs exhibition and artists http://www.thekermadecs.org/wakey-wakey-wakey The Kermadecs http://www.thekermadecs.org/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheKermadecs Twitter: @thekermadecs |
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