IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak used her remarks at the high-level One Water Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to embrace water and freshwater ecosystems as a connector for achieving the three Rio Conventions and to strengthen synergies with the Convention on Wetlands. The GEF is proud to announce an investment of USD 5 million into the Freshwater Challenge as this critical country-led initiative will be key to achieving the 30x30 targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework.

The IUCN World Heritage Panel met in Senegal to evaluate new nominations proposed for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Panel reviewed eight nominations as well as 11 cultural landscapes. IUCN Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Nana Oumou Toure-Sy stated, “With more than 50% of the natural World Heritage sites on the danger list within our region, the meeting provided a unique opportunity to engage staff in the globally important work that IUCN does in relation to World Heritage, as well as identify opportunities to integrate regional and local expertise into World Heritage processes”.

The Sámi forest of Alttokangas was approved as an ICCA in 2024. In 2023 Finnish NGO Snowchange Cooperative  got funding from the The Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation for a project titled: Snowchange Arctic Rewilding: Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge Rewilding of Boreal Forests in Finland. ICCAs are protected by Indigenous Peoples and/or local communities themselves and contain important biodiversity. Now a new StoryMaps summarizes the conservation and restoration efforts in this first-ever ICCA for the Sámi in Finland.

To enhance the management and governance of Protected and Conserved Areas and support countries in reporting progress against Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, BIOPAMA partnered with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) to support the use of the Site Assessment for Governance and Equity (SAGE) assessment tool.

The Global Environment Facility’s Council approved the CSO Challenge Program – a new global program led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to recognise and scale up environmental solutions from civil society organisations (CSOs) including those from youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). The program will provide opportunities for partnership and learning through development of joint knowledge products & shared communities of practice.

The BESTLIFE2030 Programme is preparing to launch its second call for proposals by the beginning of Spring 2025. This next phase underscores the Programme’s dedication to supporting local conservation, fostering collaboration, and enhancing capacity-building in Europe’s overseas biodiversity hotspots for sustainable, long-term impact. To assist applicants, the BESTLIFE2030 Programme offers comprehensive resources and capacity exchange sessions through the Programme’s regional hubs.

From the Dolomites (Italy), widely regarded as among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world, to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Peru), a masterpiece of art and engineering embedded within the biodiverse Andes, about a fifth of the over 1200 World Heritage sites recognize mountain ecosystems and the way mountains have shaped humanity. Almost half of World Heritage sites could loose their glaciers by 2100, as shown by a UNESCO-IUCN report recognized in 2024 by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Governance and Management Council, established through this agreement, represents a groundbreaking collaboration between Indigenous communities and the Chilean government, addressing long-standing tensions over land rights and environmental stewardship. It also aligns with Chile’s recently passed Biodiversity Law, which transfers the management of protected areas from CONAF to the new Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service under the Ministry of the Environment.

The intersection of agriculture and biodiversity presents both challenges and opportunities. "By bridging science, policy, and practice, IUCN’s initiatives continue to pave the way for a resilient and sustainable future" Radhika Murti, director for the Centre for Societal Transformations at IUCN. “This evening encapsulates the essence of IUCN: combining new scientific insights with constructive dialogue among stakeholders holding diverse worldviews,” said Boris Erg, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office.

The partnership between IUCN and the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan is paving the way for impactful collaborative efforts. Joint initiatives already underway include the IKI-funded regional initiative on One Health in Nature Conservation, led by IUCN, and the GEF project with FAO and IUCN focused on landscape and land restoration.

In rewarding news, the just-launched WALD Innovation Facility has put all prospective Nature-and-Climate-positive projects on notice with its first call for concepts/proposals needing funding. The Facility is searching to fund projects with grants ranging from EUR 750,000 to EUR 1.5 million. Projects can receive funding for up to two years. 

All organizations involved must be applauded for developing and publishing the Core Human Rights Principles for Private Conservation Organizations and Funders at this opportune time when the accelerated momentum and urgency to deliver on the KMGBF Targets, particularly Target 3, and climate goals to reverse global warming might easily further victimize Indigenous Peoples and local communities living in biodiversity rich areas and exacerbate their human rights situation. 

The Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro is at the forefront of safeguarding the country’s rich natural heritage. Its mission includes fostering sustainable resource management and promoting environmental awareness in the country, ensuring that its unique ecosystems thrive for generations to come. We warmly welcome the Agency to IUCN and look forward to building a strong and impactful partnership.  “By leveraging IUCN’s extensive network, the Agency aims to amplify its impact on conservation, enhance capacity-building initiatives, and contribute to global environmental goals”.

Since 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has led globally and in Latin America in promoting the inclusion of protected and conserved areas within the Standard. In South America, some areas stand out with this certification, such as the Soure Marine Extractive Reserve in Brazil, the Tatamá National Natural Park, the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary and the Chingaza National Natural Park in Colombia; as well as the Machiguenga Communal Reserve, the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and the Megantoni Nature Sanctuary in Peru. In addition, about 20 Protected Conservation Areas (APC) in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Argentina are in the process of applying.  The function of the Brazilian Green List (EAGL) Expert Group is to ensure that the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard is applied in the assessment of areas against the indicators proposed for their jurisdiction. This position is considered voluntary and highly prestigious.

The more than 70 response options presented in the report, taken together, support the achievement of all 17 SDGs, all 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the long-term goals for climate change mitigation and adaptation of the Paris Agreement. Twenty four of the response options advance more than five SDGs and more than five of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets. Implementing response options together or in sequence can further improve their positive impacts and achieve cost savings. Ensuring inclusive participation, such as including Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the co-design, governance and implementation of response options, can also increase the benefits and equity of these measures. “Some good examples include marine protected areas that have included communities in management and decision-making,” said Prof. McElwee. 

The Spanish translation of the IUCN guidance Cultural and spiritual significance of nature, a guide for the governance and management of protected and conserved natural areas has just been released. The project was possible thanks to the support of the Spanish Autonomous National Parks Agency and the Silene Association. These guidelines offer an approach towards creating a prominent and appropriate role for the cultural and spiritual relevance of nature within the governance and management of protected and conserved areas. They try to overcome some of the difficulties caused by contradictory objectives when engaging with culture in the context of nature conservation. They do so by recognizing the global diversity of worldviews, governance systems, religions, and languages that make up the different ways of understanding nature.

This practical guide has been written by researchers, practitioners and indigenous leaders as part of the project “Transformative Pathways: indigenous peoples and local communities leading
and scaling up conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.” Funding for the Transformative Pathways project is provided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). International policy recognises the sustainability of many customary forms of use (the traditional ways in which communities use natural resources), which are based on traditional knowledge and practices, and the purpose of this guidance is to set out how customary sustainable use can
be supported when necessary with insights and tools from ‘scientific’ approaches to monitoring and managing natural resources.

In this book Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend delves into the motivations that sustain and inspire the institutions that govern our natural environments. The exploration is beyond academic, as it deals with the essence and meaning of the bonds between nature and communities, and within thecommunities themselves. Thus, the volume traverses a landscape of experiences and highlights howgovernance— in particular governance by Indigenous peoples and local communities— can sustain and enhance the vitality of both conserved and protected areas. 

In April of 2024, in the furthest reaches of Chilean Patagonia and on the least trodden corners of the continent’s largest glacier, we found a dragon. It was hiding down a deep, blue crevasse. A recent report by IUCN and UNESCO found that limiting global warming to 1.5°C could save glaciers in two-thirds of World Heritage sites, which currently covers 10% of the world’s glaciated areas. The same study found that World Heritage glaciers are losing on average some 58 billion tonnes of ice every year - equivalent to the total annual volume of water consumed in France and Spain together - and contribute to almost 5% of global observed sea-level rise. Iconic glaciers in Iceland and Venezuela have already met their demise.

Tomás Cuterez lost his father at age of eleven. A unique sense of perseverance led him to sow the seeds of COINAICHI in 1992.The 40 members of COINACHI, along with their families are part of the 132,000 beneficiaries of the Resilient Highlands project. Since 2020, this initiative has aimed to mitigate the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle of the watersheds in the Guatemalan highlands and increase the resilience of ecosystems and local communities. 

The Young Professional group under the IUCN-CEESP Theme on Governance, Equity, and Rights (TGER) is bringing together youth-focused and policy-oriented perspectives from young leaders who are engaged in work associated with the environment including research and advocacy. Through creative and flexible ways (like art, poetry, visuals, maps), the project aims to provide a platform for young professionals to document and record our environmental and conservation journeys.

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