EDITORIAL

IDENTITY AND NARRATIVE – THE PILLARS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

SUMMARY OF THE 68TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CIC

There is perhaps no bigger topic of conversation in conservation circles than communications.

We all want to be more effective in sharing our message, while having our message be heard by a bigger audience.

Social media, likes and engagement are terms that we are looking to understand and use to our advantage. Managing resources and determining where they can be best utilised across different communication platforms is a task that all organisations will be familiar with.

It was with this in mind that the 68th General Assembly was hosted in Riga, Latvia under the theme of communications, and the motto “Conserve – Convene – Communicate”.

The world’s foremost thinkers and practitioners working in conservation, sustainable use and beyond congregated in Riga to engage in discussions on this topic that looked to shape the future of the wildlife sector.

The Technical Sessions were set up as the main facilitator of these discussions. “Wildlife Management in the Baltic Region” sought to give participants an insight into the management practices in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as their approach to communications.

“Utilising communications tools in the 21st century” was created to examine modern tools, their application and use. And finally, “What can we learn from across the table?” looked to draw ideas from other industries that could be applied to wildlife conservation.

Going into the event, there was the assumption that most of the discussions would be centred around the practicalities surrounding communications campaigns and activities - the tools we should be using, the audiences we should be targeting, and the channels needed to convey our message.

Instead, what transpired was far from this expectation. What was made abundantly clear was that while most speakers and panellists valued the importance of communications, they placed a greater emphasis on its foundations.

This idea was best summed up by Dr. Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian State Secretary for International Communication and Relations, who suggested that identity and narrative are first required to communicate any message.

In regards to identity, concepts such as integrity and image were mentioned as areas to focus on. Integrity built through mechanisms such as certification standards or through association with neutral partners, as well as an image improved through engaging in humanitarian work or by giving others – and not yourself – a platform to speak.

Once an identity has been determined, there is of course the need to shape a narrative around values and actions.

The need to be proactive in creating a narrative was a point that emerged several times throughout the proceedings. Sharing real success stories, while not allowing media outlets to shape their own version of affairs, were among the key outcomes of note.

A case study from Estonia served as the perfect example to show how identity and narrative can work for the benefit of sustainable use. While hunters historically had a negative image within the country, their work in helping to address African Swine Fever helped to gain favour amongst both the government and local residents.

So where does this leave sustainable use organisations going forward? If communications is just a tool, then the primary goal should be to build our foundations first. Marc de Beaufort, CEO of Idafield, presented a new CIC initiative - Nature’s Keepers - which may help achieve just that. The premise is to create content that showcases the work done by hunters, and those adjacent to hunting, to preserve and restore nature. Creating content that presents hunting and sustainable use through this new lens then gives greater opportunities to communicate messages that are more likely to engage, influence and impact new audiences.

While ambitious, similar activities can be done as long as they follow the same core principle. Which is to first define the role and values that should be associated with hunting.

A difficult task, but one worth doing if we are to build a strong foundation for the future.

We asked some of the invited journalist to share their impression about hunters and hunting, as well as their take-aways from the conference.

68TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY: OPENING CEREMONY

The 68th General Assembly of the CIC kicked off in the historic city of Riga, Latvia on 10 June, 2022.

Held under the theme of communications, and the motto “Conserve – Convene – Communicate,” the conference looked to explore the importance of communications in today’s world and answer questions such as:

How do we communicate our successes? What types of messaging are most effective? And what can we learn from our allies and from those across the table?

To open the conference, the Central Military Band of the Latvian National Armed Forces played the CIC Hymn and a medley of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian national anthems during the official CIC Flag Ceremony.

The master of ceremony and CIC Director General, Tamás Marghescu, then extended his thanks to the Governments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, their national hunting associations, and all that facilitated the organisation of the General Assembly in Riga.

CIC President, Dr. Philipp Harmer, then set the scene by welcoming participants to the event, which came two years after the original conference was planned for 2020. Referencing the theme, he emphasised that it is the duty of hunters to communicate with the public and to inform them of the services they provide to nature and society. The need for hunters to adapt to modern times – dealing with all forms of communications while adjusting their values – was stressed as a necessity going forward.

Taking the stage following this was H.E. Kaspars Gerhards, the Minister of Agriculture of Latvia. In his speech, he spoke about the conference motto, stating that effective communication is the key to success in both politics and legislation. The obvious changes to nature that we have seen in recent years was mentioned in parallel with the less visible, but equally impactful, changes we have seen in the digital environment, with all stakeholders now having a responsibility to communicate the role that hunting and sustainable use plays in managing wildlife resources.

Exploring the intersection between conservation and politics was Dr. Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian State Secretary for International Communication and Relations. “If you want things to remain the same, then things cannot remain the same” – this was the sentence put forward to sum up the current state of affairs for the sustainable use community. While it was discussed that we do indeed need to consider the importance of communications if we do not want to fall behind, a supplementary motto of “Awake – Adopt – Communicate” was suggested if we truly want things to remain the same. This was the approach recently used in Hungary, culminating in the “One with Nature” exhibition in Budapest last year, in which a renewed approach to conservation was adopted by the Hungarian Government.

As part of his closing remarks, he stated the CIC and like-minded organisations will lead the way in creating a renewed approach to conservation and communications, while emphasising the Hungarian Government’s intention to assist and share knowledge on how to carry out such activities.

The Opening Ceremony introduced themes and ideas that were explored further during the Technical Sessions that took place during the rest of the conference – see inside for more details and the outcomes from these sessions.