The 5th WWC convened in Tromso, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, under the theme Wild Nature and Sustainable Living in Circumpolar Regions. The aim of the 5th WWC was to enhance awareness of the natural beauty, natural resources, and the aesthetic and scientific importance of the Arctic and Antarctica-the two largest, continuous, relatively undisturbed ecosystems on Earth. A greater physical contrast between these regions and the woodlands of Umfolozi where the WWC was conceived (see Preface) could hardly be imagined. But the inherent value of natural environment and the conservation imperative that must be upheld in these and all wild regions of the Earth are exactly the same.
The WWC has always insisted on a balanced, holistic approach to problem solving in which philosophy, culture, and the arts are as important as the biological and physical sciences, economics, and politics. In this spirit, the fifth congress was convened in parallel with the first Northern Forum conference, the theme of which was People in the Arctic: Regional Rights and Regional Management. This cooperation was a new initiative, which provided an opportunity to present and discuss major issues in conservation and sustainable development in northern regions from an especially wide range of perspectives. Dialogue of this kind is essential as never before to secure both preservation of polar wilderness and sustainable living for the people of the North.