Highlights and images for 14 October 2025

On the penultimate day of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress 2025, Members heard reports from IUCN Expert Commissions. The Union’s Commissions, comprising of thousands of volunteer specialists ranging from scientists and policymakers to youth and Indigenous knowledge holders, are at the heart of global conservation expertise.

Their collective power and reach was exemplified by the recognition of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) by the Guinness World Records in May 2024 as the largest volunteer conservation-science network.

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

In the afternoon, Members addressed IUCN’s finances and governance, approving the Financial Plan 2026–2029 and several motions on governance. The evening session featured the IUCN Awards Ceremony, celebrating outstanding contributions to conservation and honoring distinguished members of the global community.

Fifth Sitting

In the morning, the Assembly discussed the IUCN Commissions’ reports and endorsed their mandates for the next quadrennium.

Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) Chair Angela Andrade highlighted the Commission’s achievements over the past four years and introduced major knowledge products, including the first Red List of Ecosystem Assessment of Tropical Glacier Ecosystems, the second Global Nature-based Solution Standard, and the Rewilding Guidelines, inviting Members to apply them in practice. 

SSC Chair Jon Paul Rodríguez highlighted recent milestones achievements, such as the SSC’s First Annual Report, the development of an open-access data visualization tool, and the creation of national species specialist groups. Rodríguez highlighted the SSC Guinness World Record recognition as a milestone achievement.

Christina Voigt, Chair, World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), drew attention to WCEL members’ roles in international judicial processes on climate change and in multilateral negotiations, including the High Seas Treaty and global plastics treaty.

Climate Action Commission (CAC) Interim Chair Manuel Pulgar Vidal outlined the four thematic areas addressed by the Commission: policy and climate justice; solutions and innovation; finance; and climate-nature synergies. Brendan Mackey, Member of the CAC Steering Committee, termed the current climate treaty framework “biodiversity-blind,” further underscoring the CAC’s expanded focus on synergies between nature and climate action.

World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Chair Madhu Rao underscored the importance of effective area-based conservation for Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Noteworthy WCAP achievements showcased by Rao included the IUCN WCPA International Ranger Awards, development of One Health tools for protected areas, and publication of various guidance on protected areas as biodiversity cornerstones.

Sixth Sitting

During the Assembly’s Sixth Sitting, discussions turned to IUCN’s financial situation. IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar noted with satisfaction that the organization’s portfolio had grown from CHF 800 million in 2021 to CHF 1.2 billion in 2024. This, she explained, was partially owed to the continued trust from government funders and multilateral agencies, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Treasurer Nihal Welikala underlined that traditional funding strategies are threatened by the current geopolitical turmoil and urged diversifying IUCN’s funding sources. Highlighting the issue of national currency devaluation, some Members reported difficulties in paying their membership fees.

Looking forward, Members debated and approved the IUCN Financial Plan 2026–2029, which lays out a strategy to ensure the Union will continue to raise the necessary funds and resources to fulfil its growing set of tasks and mandates.

Vivek Menon, Chair, Congress Governance Committee, presented governance related motions, covering IUCN Statutes’ alignment with Swiss law, election procedures, and an elections appeals process, among others. Debate centered on quorum for electronic voting for the IUCN Statute amendments, for which the voting was deferred.

Seventh Sitting

Awards Ceremony: The IUCN Awards Ceremony was conducted by Sean Southey, Chair, Commission on Education and Communication.

The John C. Phillips Memorial was awarded to Marina Silva, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil (in absentia), for her outstanding service in international conservation.

The Harold Jefferson Coolidge Memorial Medal was awarded to Simon Stuart, former SCC Chair, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the conservation of nature and natural resources

IUCN Honorary Membership Awards were granted to Sylvia Earle, Founder Mission Blue, John Robinson, former Vice President of the IUCN Council and Jeffrey McNeely, former IUCN Chief Scientist (in absentia), in recognition of their many years of outstanding service in nature conservation worldwide.