IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN’s impact on global conservation

01 April 2012 | News story

As preparations gear up for the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress, we take a look at what impact these events have on international nature conservation.

Held every four years, the IUCN Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development. Each event produces a series of decisions and recommendations, known as resolutions, which guide conservation efforts.

IUCN’s Members have issued more than 1,000 resolutions since the organization’s founding in 1948. These have been the Union’s most effective means of influencing conservation policy at all levels, from local to global. They have helped set the international conservation agenda, for example, through supporting the preparation of the World Conservation Strategy and contributing to environmental treaties such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, World Heritage and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Through its resolutions, IUCN has been a steadfast supporter of indigenous peoples, gender equality and the recognition of conservation as part of human rights. It has also focused attention on conserving endangered species and protected areas, helping to design effective approaches that are now global standards. The resolutions process has helped IUCN to be a leader in promoting sustainable relationships between people and nature.

You can find here a report outlining the impact these resolutions have had, and continue to have, over the years.