IMPAC5 launches early-bird registration on World Ocean Day

8 June 20222 August 2022

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Each year on World Ocean Day, we pause to reflect on the important role that the ocean plays in all our lives. It is home to a rich diversity of species, habitats, and ecosystems that need our help as much as we need theirs to both survive and thrive. We are all connected by water, and water connects us all to the ocean.

This is why on World Ocean Day, we are excited to launch early-bird registration for the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) where the world will come together to take a stand to protect the global ocean.

Early-bird registration, available through 6 September 2022, offers across-the-board rate discounts to all those wishing to attend IMPAC5 in person or virtually. The IMPAC5 registration fee scale includes lower prices for members of Indigenous communities, persons from developing nations and not-for-profit organizations plus young professionals and seniors. Regular registration rates kick in on 7 September.

From 3-9 February 2023, IMPAC5 will bring ocean conservation professionals leaders and decision-makers together in Vancouver, Canada, to inform, inspire and act on marine protected areas. IMPAC5 will culminate in a one-day Leadership Forum on 9 February, where officials from participating governments will hear the results of the Congress, address key issues, and affirm commitments to expanding ocean protection.

IMPAC5 will be jointly hosted by the Host First Nations—xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh Nation)—together with the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

We hope to see you in Vancouver for the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), where we will chart a course towards protecting 30% of the world ocean by 2030.

Quick Facts:

IMPAC Congresses are a collaborative effort between the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the chosen host country. Since 2005, four IMPAC events have taken place in the following locations:
- IMPAC1 – Geelong, Australia (2005)
- IMPAC2 – Washington, D.C., United States of America (2009)
- IMPAC3 – Marseille, France (2013)
- IMPAC4 – La Serena-Coquimbo, Chile (2017).

During the closing ceremony of IMPAC4, Canada was awarded the honour of hosting IMPAC5.

IMPAC events are an opportunity for the global community of marine conservation leaders, managers and practitioners to exchange knowledge, experience, and best practices to strengthen the conservation of marine biodiversity and protect the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean.
To guide discussions and further dialogue, all aspects of IMPAC5 will be informed by five themes and three cross-cutting streams.

Themes: