IUCN Connect

Less than two months to go! On 13 October the curtain will rise in Jeju, Republic of Korea for the first IUCN Leaders Forum. A stellar line-up of speakers is scheduled to join us in-person to share their vision of a nature-positive future. The draft programme has been published, featuring both leaders dialogues, more focussed parallel sessions, and “pitch events” which will connect young innovators and corporate leaders. The call for proposals for pitches received 3,500 applications.

Our organising team visited Jeju this month, where they recorded this video to share what awaits.


Life at IUCN
Boris Erg appointed Director of IUCN’s European Regional Office

The Director General announced Boris Erg as the new Regional Director of our European Regional Office. Boris, who will take up his new role on 1 November, has 25 years’ experience and has been Director of our Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia since 2015.

Boris said of the news, “I am excited about the opportunity to work with IUCN colleagues, Members and partners on shaping our policy and programme in Europe, and supporting our ambitious goals on green transition.”
Call to host IMPAC6

IUCN and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas are pleased to open the call for proposals to host the 6th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC6) in 2026. Potential host countries can submit a proposal online by 3 October 2022.

Colleagues are asked to help spread the word.
Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) updated

The DSA Calculator has been updated based on the UN rates from July 2022. Please find the latest version here. These rates have been effective for travel since 3 August 2022.
Connecting with...

Rehema Kahurananga is Regional Communication and Constituency Manager for IUCN’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. Based in Nairobi, Kenya she joined IUCN on 11 July 2022, just seven days before the inaugural IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC).

IUCN Connect caught up with Rehema to learn more about her family’s conservation work, her hopes for her new role, and probably the busiest second week in IUCN history.

Read the interview
Dates for your diary

You can find a calendar of important events via IUCN Connect Online. If you’re planning an event colleagues should know about, please follow the online instructions to add it to the calendar.
Welcome to

Allan Araya who joins as Oficial Financiero in the Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Arona Badji who joins as Chauffeur in the Senegal Programme Office.

Catherine Kayombo who joins as Communication Assistant in the Tanzania Project Office.

Fabien Techene who joins as Nature-based Solutions Project Officer in the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Jovana Dragic May who joins as Conservation Action Project Officer in the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Karine Siegwart who joins as Senior Policy Advisor in Headquarters.

Maria Nuñez Rodriguez who joins as European Programme Officer Nature-based Solutions in the European Regional Office.

Mohammed-Kabir Abdulsalam who joins as HR Partner in Headquarters.

Mousa Al-Manaseer who joins as Procurement Officer in the Regional Office for West Asia.

Omar Hamdan who joins as Regional Finance Manager in the Regional Office for West Asia.

Preedee Ittipong who joins as HR Associate in the Asia Regional Office.

Rose Mwalyego who joins as Receptionist in the Tanzania Project Office.

Tatiana Ivanova who joins as Conservation Action Project Officer in the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Tracy Romero Delgado who joins as Pasante-Coordinación de Constituyentes y Relaciones Oficiales in the Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Waraporn Raksaphram who joins as Programme Officer, Thailand in the Asia Regional Office.
IUCN in the media

Globally, IUCN featured in over 15,700 media articles and reached 617,267 people on social media in the last month.

The Washington Post, BBC and National Geographic published follow-up stories on July’s IUCN Red List of Threatened Species update. The BBC cited our experts on threats to dugongs and hippos; and The Guardian interviewed our specialists on hippos and invasive species. The Independent, Voice of America, Die Zeit, National Geographic Spain and AFP covered the IUCN report about rhino poaching.

In addition to our species work, RFi and Mongabay quoted the Director General on the Kigali Call to Action, the BBC referenced IUCN’s Issues Brief on deep-sea mining, and The Guardian and Mongabay cited our experts on ocean plastics.
What happened this month at IUCN
Remembering former IUCN Councillor Andrew Bignell

Our community is deeply saddened by the death of former IUCN Councillor Andrew Bignell, and wishes to pay tribute to his many contributions to the Union and to the cause of nature conservation.
Rhino poaching and illegal trade decline but remain critical threats

Overall rhino poaching rates have declined since 2018, and trade data suggests the lowest annual estimate of rhino horns entering illegal trade markets since 2013, according to a new report by the IUCN SSC African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC. Image © Dr Richard Emslie
Nepal doubles tiger numbers

On International Tiger Day, Nepal declared its tiger population has reached 355. Therefore, with support from IUCN and partners, Nepal has successfully achieved the commitment of the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit to double wild tigers by 2022. Image © Krishna Hengaju, IUCN

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News to share with colleagues?

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