IUCN, through the Membership and Secretariat in the country, is part of this national initiative to prevent forest fires that in 2024 registered a 70% increase in protected areas. Every year, thousands of hectares of forests and protected areas in Guatemala are devastated by forest fires, causing irreparable losses to biodiversity, affecting the local economy and putting the livelihoods of communities across the country at risk. 

The Salween River converges with its largest tributary, the Nam Pang River, is inhabited by a number of Myanmar’s Indigenous communities. Given the diversity of these communities, KTHM invited traditional leaders, women and young people to share their cultural and spiritual values. Moving forward, IUCN will work in the Thousand Island area to expand partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to strengthen the conservation of this critically important area.

In 2020, King Abdullah called for the creation of the Aqaba Marine Reserve and its integration into Jordan’s national network of protected areas. During a formal ceremony in Aqaba, Minister of Environment Muawieh Radaideh announced that efforts are underway to nominate three additional reserves for inclusion on the Green List, adding that the ministry is actively strengthening partnerships with civil society organisations and promoting the concept of specially protected areas.

Sri Lanka took a momentous step towards mainstreaming Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), a conservation concept that contributes to effectively conserving more than 30% of land and waters by 2030. IUCN leveraged its global expertise to lead the introduction of the OECM concept to Sri Lanka, as the technical partner in establish the National Steering Committee (NSC) on OECMs, followed by a dedicated stakeholder awareness workshop.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition officially recognized the Río Anzu Reserve, managed by the EcoMinga Foundation, as its first OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure, OMEC in spanish). This designation acknowledges the reserve as a key site for preserving ecosystems, protecting endangered species, and strengthening ecological connectivity within the Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor. 

In 2022, Cerro Castillo National Park, located in the Aysén Region, southern Chile, began its application process for the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with the aim of improving its management under the standard proposed by the Green List. After two years of hard work by its park rangers and other officials, plus the support of IUCN-accredited mentors, this park has made significant progress in its good management indicators, for example, strengthening its wildlife monitoring plan with camera traps, reactivating its advisory council, advancing in its first gender committee, improving its relationship with neighbouring communities and implementing its SMART patrol system.

Siphandone is home to several species assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN including the Giant ibis, White-shouldered ibis, and White-rumped vulture, which has disappeared from most of Southeast Asia. Endangered turtle species also inhabit the wetland, including Cantor’s giant soft-shell turtle, Big-headed turtle, and the Asiatic soft-shelled turtle. Just before it flows into Cambodia, the Mekong braids extensively into a maze of channels and islands known as Siphandone or “Four Thousand Islands”. Numerous islands and islets are created by the splitting of the riverbed into a labyrinth of channels, which reach a maximum width of about 13 km. The area is characterized by waterfalls, rapids, and seasonally flooded riverine habitats. It is among the most extraordinary natural sites of Lao PDR, and an exceptional riverine landscape.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Rwanda has been awarded an appreciation certificate for its outstanding contributions to environmental conservation and socio-economic development in the Nyagatare District, located in Rwanda’s Eastern Province. IUCN was  acknowledged for its significant support to the  implementing the district performance and annual plans.

From polluted rivers to threatened bird habitats, wetlands worldwide are facing mounting pressures. But people across the globe are taking action to protect and restore wetlands in both traditional and innovative ways. The 2025 Ramsar Wetland Awards highlight a diverse range of initiatives, from waste capture technology in Panama to grassroots bird conservation in Iran and Indigenous-led wetland restoration in Bolivia. 

The Kiwa Initiative's Permatil project in Timor-Leste is a permaculture-based initiative that aims to improve food systems and climate resilience in the Aileu Municipality. The project aims to increase the knowledge, skill and attitude around affective watershed and water source management, across Timor-Leste with one of the specific objectives is scaling-up environmental rehabilitation. Permatil, in collaboration with the community members from six targeted villages in Remexio Sub-District, initiated water conservation activities in 2024. In early 2025, a total of 2,760 water conservation and fruit saplings were distributed to 63 households. These saplings were planted across 18 hectares of land within the sub-district.

IUCN and Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment organised a workshop on MPAs in Kampot. This is a part of the IUCN-led Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Conservation and Management’ Project funded by ROK’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Korea in 2021-2025. A field visit to the Dong Peng Multiple Use Area was organised where participants met rangers and local communities to discuss on-the-ground conservation efforts and challenges. The project aims to address the urgent threats facing Asia’s marine ecosystems by increasing MPA coverage and management effectiveness in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

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