The 8th World Wilderness Conference was held in Anchorage, Alaska from September 30 through October 6, 2005. With associated events held in Kamchatka and the Russian Far East, approximately 1,100 delegates from over fifty nations attended this year's event.

The theme of the 8th WWC was "Wilderness, Wildlands and People--A Partnership for the Planet" and the models, projects, and data analyses presented by the delegates were global in scope. In keeping with this theme, the Wildlands Project, Wildlands Trust of South Africa, and the Wilderness Society--Australia held an intensive three-day workshop on connectivity in heavily populated landscapes.

Wilderness areas are essential to preserving biodiversity. But many species like to live in the same places as people do or, at a minimum, need to pass through human settlements as part of natural movement patterns. Maintaining and restoring connectivity therefore is high on the conservation agenda in much of the world.

The workshop brought together conservationists from the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Kenya, Australia, Canada and the United States shared information on their experiences with the design, designation and management of connections for a wide variety of species from mountain lions and elephants to large-scale hydrological processes.

Among the key findings:

• Partnerships play a critical role, especially where land ownership patterns are complex and involve mixes of private, public and communal lands.
• Where public land dominates the landscape science plays a bigger role earlier in the process; where private land dominates economic factors limit alternatives, and the science tends to limit itself to these alternatives.
• Recovery land for connectivity and the degree to which people tolerate or embrace wildlife depends on whether commercial production or subsistence production is the norm.
• Government has a role not just in regulation and enforcement but in creating and altering markets to support connectivity.
• Codifying cultural norms about land use can work to protect connectivity in some circumstances. In other cases norms are a significant obstacle.
• Pilot or demonstration projects are critical in persuading decision makers and other key constituencies.
• Connectivity relies more heavily on involvement by local communities than the creation and maintenance of core protected areas.
• Conflicts often emerge over priorities: areas most threatened versus areas most biologically valuable.

Different approaches to the science, differences in species of concern, land ownership patterns, attitudes toward wildlife, and political and economic circumstances revealed many common challenges and made participants aware of alternative strategies and tactics. A focus on practical experience and case studies proved especially fruitful in generating potential solutions.

Participants wish to thank the anonymous donor working through Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for their generous support of the workshop, as well as Vance Martin and Cyril Kormos of the Wild Foundation for making the World Wilderness Conference a reality.