CEM members Angela Andrade, David Keith and Jose Ferrer-Paris joined the IUCN delegation attending the first High Level International Conference on Glaciers Preservation hosted by the Government of Tajikistan in Dushanbe 29-31 May 2025. The conference was an initiative committed in a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly, and included statements by heads of state and their representatives from over 100 countries. A number of scientific sessions were held in parallel, presenting diverse research advances on topics relevant to the cryosphere. CEM participants presented on recently published Red List assessments of glacier ecosystems in a thematic session “Glacier Futures: Linking Knowledge, Communities and Policy for Climate Resilience,” jointly sponsored by UNEP and IUCN. The session resolved to support continued development of global RLE assessments for glacial and post-glacial ecosystems to inform investment, risk management, and policy decisions. These efforts aim to produce risk maps for priority areas and support capacity building for governments and practitioners.

The conference released a joint statement recounting the extreme threat posed to glaciers by climate change, the implications for critical ecosystem services and emphasizing the need for urgent action on climate change mitigation and locally based actions to reduce the pace and extent of glacier recession. In addition, the IUCN delegation held bilateral meetings with the Governments of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to discuss future partnerships. Further opportunities to progress Red Lists of Ecosystems in Central Asia were discussed at the opening of a new IUCN office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

From Left to Right: Cara Nelson, Emily Nicholson, Jessica Walsh and Bernal Herrera-Fernández. Angela Andrade (Image on the right). 

This past March, CEM had its 60th Steering Committee meeting (and first of this intersessional period). Held in Bangkok, Thailand this session was an opportunity to introduce new Steering Committee members, collaborate with the IUCN Asia Regional Office, IUCN Secretariat staff and engage/learn from CEM Member; Bangpu’s Nature Education Center. Many discussions were held around key topics, including CEMs strategic alignment to its four-year programme and to IUCN’s 20-Year Vision, as well as regional challenges & opportunities, and defining future pathways for collaboration with CEM.

CEM members and attendees from ARO at the 60th CEM Steering Committee meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 117th IUCN Council session took place in May at IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, gathering the Director General, President, Union, and councillors from around the world. During the meeting, the council reflected on collective achievements reached in 2025, and engaged in various other activities including the approval of work plans, admittance of 48 new IUCN members to the Union, and official recognition of the IUCN National Committee of Armenia. CEM’s Commission Chair (Liette Vasseur) and Deputy Chair (Tatiana Labato Malhales) attended this meeting to advance discussion on key topics. With Abu Dhabi's 20-year strategic vision and IUCN’s World Conservation Congress Resolutions and Recommendations in mind the council defined early priority actions and tangible outcomes for nature during this next quadrennium (2026-2029). 

Councillor members from Iberoamerican countries, CEM deputy chair, Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães, IUCN president, Razan Al Mubarak and director general, Grethel Aguilar, during the 117th meeting of the IUCN Council, Gland, 22-23 April 2026.

CEM Chair, Liette Vasseur and CEM deputy chair Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães at the 117th Meeting of the IUCN Council, Gland, 22-23 April 2026.

IUCN CEM’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, is a vibrant community of young people committed to the care of nature and the well-being of people. Drawing from diverse regional, disciplinary, and experiential backgrounds, its members work passionately to promote solutions that link ecosystem conservation with a more sustainable and just future for the region.

In 2023, Dariana Avila-Velasquez (YPN Focal Point), Vania Olmos Lau, and Sara Fernandez, with the support of Rocío Córdoba, applied for and received from IUCN CEM the Small project grant. At the same  time, multiple quotes were carried out, and the most favorable one per country and for collaboration on environmental issues was from Estudios Planeteando, based in Mexico.

From this emerged Raíces Sonoras, a podcast that transforms knowledge into living stories. Launched in 2023 and made a reality in 2024, this project is much more than a series of 5 episodes: it is a collective voice that brings experiences, learnings, and hope to all of Latin America in Spanish. With the backing of Estudios Planeteando and the generous effort of volunteers like Vania, Sara, Saúl, Dariana, and David, Raíces Sonoras demonstrates that when young professionals unite around shared ideas and values, they can become seeds of change that resonate and transform.

Episode are out now on the following platforms: Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

At the third Preparatory Committee meeting of the BBNJ Agreement in New York on 30 March 2026, the IUCN-CEM Fisheries Expert Group worked with the IUCN Secretariat and IUCN WCPA to convene a lunchtime session co-supported by FAO. The session brought together 46 participants from Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO) secretariats, national delegations, environmental NGOs and FAO. The central finding was clear: fisheries bodies are already delivering biodiversity outcomes in areas beyond national jurisdiction, however  most people outside the fisheries community do not know it. We need to use the BBNJ Agreement to make these opportunities for conservation clear.  

The session produced eight action areas focused on the next 12–24 months. Early engagement in ABMT and Environment Impact Assessments processes, formalised communication channels between BBNJ bodies and RFMO secretariats, and a practical mapping of existing data holdings and spatial measures were identified as priorities. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission's decision to elevate its secretariat mandate for BBNJ engagement to a legally binding resolution was cited as a model others should follow. The closing message was not diplomatic: general calls for cooperation are not enough. What is needed is targeted action, using governance infrastructure that already exists, built on trust and on better coordination between fisheries and environment ministries at national level. Getting fisheries bodies, conservation bodies, NGOs and national delegations into the same room to find solutions for conservation and restoration is one of the key roles of IUCN-CEM Fisheries Expert Group, and we were pleased to find so many willing partners.

Representatives from the IUCN Secretariat, WCPA, CEM Fisheries Expert Group, RFMOs, national delegations, environmental NGOs, and FAO gathered at the third Preparatory Committee meeting of the BBNJ Agreement in New York.

SUME has a close relationship with the European Sustainable Use Group (ESUG) which is a new member of IUCN led by Julie Ewald of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. ESUG was the recipient of a European Union project grant to look at ways to enhance sustainable use in coastal areas through community engagement.  The project, known as ProCoast, is now bearing fruit and has developed tools to promote community engagement in sustainable use extending beyond coastal areas.  SUME is planning to promote the work of ProCoast and, particularly, the tools developed, through the SUME multilingual Portal – www.naturalliance.org , which is now available in 44 languages.  

One of the requirements of the ProCoast Project has been the development of a Community Sustainability Platform (CUSP) Home - Pro-Coast.  This is now available in 14 European languages and has national satellites, in the national language.  The satellites detail the sustainability-enhancing projects developed in that country, as well as useful environmental information and a forum for local groups to communicate. Please note that it is still under development.

Tools which have been developed, and which may be of particular interest include:

The Conservation and Human Use Index (CHUI) which is a means of assessing a specific coastal area, for use and sustainability, by land managers and involved parties in a reasonably quick but detailed manner.  Its main value is that the assessment can be repeated annually, or less frequently, and thus monitor changes in human use and its sustainability in a particular area.

The Reciprocal Environmental Decision System (REDS) is a map-based app that provides environmental decision advice and allows capture of user-reporting to update and enhance the advice provided by the system. The pilot project of this tool involved mapping of suburban gardens and reporting of the presence of common sparrows, providing advice to encourage their presence as well as promoting carbon-storage.  Currently, the tool is being developed to allow landowners and users to map farmland and report the presence of breeding pairs of partridges. The app provides information on encouraging habitat suitable for partridges while the data recorded feeds into and updates the system.  We are particularly excited by this development as it aligns with our work on nature restoration and the enhancement of biodiversity on farmlands through our multilingual portal: www.perdixnet.org .  The app is potentially available for the mapping and reporting of any species.

CEM members may find the tools and portals that I have listed of interest.  Details of ProCoast as well as recorded webinars describing the CUSP and the Tools can be found at   https://pro-coast.sycl.net/3/2127/regular-events I would suggest that, for those with limited time but interest in this, the last of the 3 webinars contains a summary of the project as well as information relating to the tools developed. 

Adrian Lombard:  Lead – CEM-SUME 

Proceeding daily meetings of the first steering committee in Bangkok Thailand, attendees took a field trip to Bang Pu’s Nature Education Centre thanks to the coordination and accompaniment of IUCN Asia Regional Office. Located in Samut Prakan Province along the upper Gulf of Thailand, the Bang Pu Nature Education Centre is managed by the Royal Thai Army in collaboration with conservation partners.

The Nature Education Centre provides facilities for research, environmental education, and public outreach. Designated as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2003 and an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2024, Bang Pu is an ecological mosaic of extensive intertidal mudflats, coastal mangrove forests stands, and shallow coastal waters. 

Migratory Brown-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus) and Giant Mudskipper (Periophthalmodon schlosseri) at Bang Pu Nature Education Centre, in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand.

The HiFlo App is nearing launch, thanks to the dedication of many partners across the HiFlo collaboration. Developed through collective work on flood resilience, Eco‑DRR, and Nature‑based Solutions, the app is designed to support communities and strengthen decision‑making in disaster contexts. This progress has been made possible through principal funding from the British Council, with additional support from CEM and the universities involved in the project. 

Over recent months, the development team has continued to consult with academic partners, practitioners, emergency management stakeholders, and community organisations across India and beyond. The app is now entering its final development stage, and we look forward to sharing updates as we move toward this much‑anticipated launch.

CEM is pleased to announce the launch of this new publication: “Urban-rural linkage: an ecosystem governance perspective”. This publication involves multiple CEM members from different technical groups and regions and focuses on ecosystem governance in the context of urban-rural linkages, analysing nine case studies to develop principles for ecosystem governance. 

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be hosted in Mongolia’s capital city Ulaanbaatar, from August 17-28, 2026, with an estimated attendance of 10,000. Under the theme of Restoring Land and Hope delegates from UNCCD’S Parties, government leaders, businesses, civil society as well as scientists, youth, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and farmers will convene to create solutions and combat challenges related to desertification, land degradation and drought. This convention recognizes the pivotal role which land plays for humans in reducing instability, preventing displacement and strengthening national security in vulnerable regions.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19-30, 2026. With an estimated attendance of 23,000 and one of the world’s most important international environmental treaties, It is crucial to the review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. By hosting COP17, Armenia exemplifies the instrumental role of small nations taking a lead in the conservation of nature, meanwhile showcasing its unique geography and a global biodiversity hotspot the Caucasus. Adopted in 1992, CBD remains the global legal framework for protecting life on Earth.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will hold its 31st Conference of the Parties in Antalya,Turkiye, from November 9-20, 2026. This annual climate summit has an an estimated attendance of 50,000, where world leaders, academics, civil society and businesses from nearly 200 countries negotiate and commit to actions addressing the climate crisis.

The 6th International Marine Protected Areas Congress will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from March 22-27, 2027. This Congress will serve as an opportunity to assess global conservation challenges and to shape the future of ocean conservation.

The Republic of Panama was selected to be the host country for the next IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress in September 2027. As we are nearing the final years of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the 2030 endpoint for Sustainable Development Goals, this congress will set the agenda for the coming decades. Held in one of the world’s most Biodiverse countries with many conserved areas, this congress serves as a pivotal opportunity to exercise political will in a time of increasing conservation challenges.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) © 2026

The Ecosystem Insider aims to keep IUCN CEM members, IUCN staff, and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with ecosystem management news and announcements. 

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