Highlights and images for 11 October 2025

At a time when global multilateralism is struggling to drive the transformative change required to step up nature conservation, the need for rigorous legal guidance has never been greater or more urgent. The third day of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress 2025 offered a platform for integrating science, youth, and Indigenous voices into regulatory and legal mechanisms. As IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar put it, “conservation is at its strongest when it is anchored in justice.”

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

High-level Dialogues

The dialogue From Commitments to Change: Driving Transformative Action for the Ocean highlighted the urgency of scaling up ocean conservation. Speakers emphasized the importance of implementing the High Seas Treaty, strengthening science, and mobilizing communities, youth, and subnational actors for ocean protection and restoration. Finance was flagged as a critical barrier, with calls for long-term capital, blended finance, and new partnerships to unlock the potential of the blue economy.

The One Health: The Only Healthy Future for People, Animals, and Ecosystems dialogue underscored the One Health approach as vital for reducing climate overshoot risks and scaling up resilient conservation action. Participants agreed that human well-being is interlinked with ecosystem health, and that nature-based solutions (NbS) backed by scientific evidence can advance the implementation of this approach.

A High-level Event on Innovative Financing Mechanisms for Scaling Up Nature-based Solutions continued the discussion initiated with the launch of the updated NbS Global Standard on Friday. Speakers highlighted the need for channelling investments in NbS and commemorated the late Kongjian Yu, a leading scholar of NbS who pioneered the concept of the “sponge city,” among others.

Selected Thematic Sessions

The session on Climate Change Advisory Opinions from International Courts underscored the potentially transformative impact of recent advisory opinions elaborating states’ climate obligations. Speakers highlighted IUCN’s role in reaching these landmark opinions and explored how the emphasis on legal duties can strengthen and complement multilateralism.

The Youth Breaking Walls session focused on the role of youth in advancing transboundary conservation in conflict-affected regions, framing nature as a common platform in conflict-affected areas for youth voices to engage.

Hot Off the Press

This Learning Zone event marked the launch of IUCN’s Agricultural support, biodiversity, and trade: Examining connections to repurpose harmful incentives report. The report highlights how different types of agricultural support and trade impact biodiversity globally and why repurposing harmful subsidies is crucial. Speakers also reiterated the need to connect biodiversity goals with food security and called for sharing country-level success stories to inspire policy change.

Speaker Pitch

At the Changemakers Pitch Event, young social innovators presented sustainable ideas and solutions to help address global challenges. Pitches included HappyPower, which harnesses electricity generated from children’s playgrounds, and Project Dolphin, a mini submarine which detects and monitors plastic waste in inland water bodies.