 | |
| Founded | 5 October 1948 Fontainebleau, France |
|---|---|
| Type | International organization |
| Focus | Nature conservation, biodiversity |
| Headquarters | Gland, Switzerland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Members | 1,400 |
Key people |
|
Revenue | CHF 140.7 million / US$148 million (2019)[2] |
| Employees | Over 900 (worldwide) |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | International Union for the Protection of Nature |
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.[3] Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable".
Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to sustainable development in its projects. IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice and through building partnerships. The organization is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.[4]
IUCN has a membership of over 1,400 governmental and non-governmental organizations from over 170 countries. Some 16,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis. It employs over 900 full-time staff in more than 50 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.[4] Every four years, IUCN convenes for the IUCN World Conservation Congress where IUCN Members set the global conservation agenda by voting on recommendations and guide the secretariat's work by passing resolutions and the IUCN Programme.
IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and biodiversity. It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. In the past, IUCN has been criticized for placing the interests of nature over those of indigenous peoples. In recent years, its closer relations with the business sector have caused controversy.[5][6]
IUCN was established in 1948. It was initially called the International Union for the Protection of Nature (1948–1956) and has also been formerly known as the World Conservation Union (1990–2008).
- ^ "Razan al Mubarak becomes first woman from the Arab world to head IUCN". 8 September 2021.
- ^ "IUCN 2019 Accounts" Archived 11 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine. IUCN. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "About". IUCN. 3 December 2014.
The organisation changed its name to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1956 with the acronym IUCN (or UICN in French and Spanish). This remains our full legal name to this day.
- ^ a b "About IUCN". IUCN. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ "Kenya: The Maasai Stand up to IUCN Displacement Attempts from their Forest". World Rainforest Movement. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ Block, Ben. "Environmentalists Spar Over Corporate Ties". Worldwatch Institute. worldwatch.org (updated version). Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.