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Co-Hosted By
Australian Land Conservation Alliance
ALCA is Australia's peak national body for nature conservation, and represents organisations that protect, steward and restore nature on private and non-government land.
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International Land Conservation Network
ILCN connects the global private and civic land conservation community of practice to accelerate the protection and strengthen the management of land and natural resources.
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Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land.
VISIT WEBSITEAbout the Congress
The ILCN Global Congress is the premier international gathering for private and civic land conservation. Held every three years, the Congress brings together inspired and dedicated land conservation practitioners and organizations working across sectors and boundaries to protect, steward and restore nature on privately owned or managed land worldwide. In 2027, the fifth ILCN Global Congress will be co-hosted by the Australian Land Conservation Alliance in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia.
Through plenary sessions, focused workshops, networking events, interactive exhibits, and an awards presentation honoring visionary conservation initiatives, the Congress fosters peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange on powerful solutions, growth strategies and innovations that are advancing private and civic land conservation from Santiago to Sydney. The event serves as a unique and invaluable opportunity for inspiration, reflection and capacity-building in conservation finance, law and policy, stewardship and land management, organizational capability, and large landscape conservation.
Each Congress grows and builds upon the momentum, relationships, and outcomes that have emerged through past gatherings, including the 2015 Global Congress in Berlin, Germany; the 2018 Global Congress in Santiago, Chile; the 2021 Global Congress in Barcelona, Spain and online; and the 2024 Global Congress in Quebec, Canada.
Why Australia?
One of the world’s most biodiverse countries, Australia is on the frontline of nature loss – but also a place where land conservation is delivering results that bring bold hope and ambition. Across the continent, species are being brought back from the brink; innovative, cross-sector partnerships are proving that everyone has a role to play in conservation; and emerging finance models are redefining how we value and invest in nature.
Australia’s vast landscapes, ancient ecosystems and iconic wildlife offer a living showcase of what the global conservation community works to conserve and care for. With engaged landholders, growing First Nations leadership, and one of the world’s most connected conservation and land management networks, hosting the Global Congress in Australia brings the international community together in a place where people, nature, and action intersect to create real impacts at scale.
Photo Credit: Annette Ruzicka
Intended Congress Impacts
- Increased knowledge of the diversity of tools and approaches being used around the world to protect and steward private and non-government land for the long-term;
- Establishment of meaningful and actionable relationships among practitioners from around the world, leading to continued knowledge exchange, sharing of expertise, and sense of global community;
- Greater understanding of strategies that can be used to advance private and civic land conservation in specific country contexts;
- The emergence and transfer of innovations in private and civic land conservation policy and practice across sectoral, jurisdictional, and geographic boundaries;
- Recognition and elevation of the role and importance of private and civic land conservation in achieving national and international goals for land protection, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience;
- Celebration of Australia’s achievements in land protection, stewardship and care for Country.
Congress Sponsors
Enduring Conference Sponsor
Congress Partner
Overview of the Conservation Visionary Award
At each Global Congress the ILCN celebrates the achievements of private and civic land conservation efforts in the host country and internationally by recognizing outstanding leaders and organizations who are setting strategically significant global precedents. Two Conservation Visionary Awards will be presented by the ILCN at the 2027 Global Congress to honor practitioners, organizations or initiatives in Australia and beyond that demonstrate visionary leadership and enduring impact.
Past ILCN Conservation Visionary Awardees
Anne Richardson
Virginia, United States of America
Mandy Gull-Masty
Quebec, Canada
Miquel Rafa Fornieles
Catalonia, Spain
Jack and Laura Dangermond
California, United States of America
Michelle Bachelet, President and Marcelo Mena, Minister of the Environment
Santiago, Chile
Humberto Delgado Rosa
Brussels, Belgium
Archive of Previous Congresses
